Give and Take
by VTP-Denny
Summary: Yu was a master at dealing with other people's problems, but hopeless when it came to his own. The Leader of the Investigation Team isn't as together and as perfect as he appears, and as events in Inaba unfold, he will need to discover some inner truths before he can take on the world's truths. A re-imagining of the P4 story with a slightly more cynical and troubled protagonist.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Yu watched the reactions of his classmates – well, now former classmates, he supposed – dispassionately as their homeroom teacher broke the sad news: he would be transferring out to attend Yasogami High in Inaba due to his parents moving. The reaction was always the same wherever he went – a collection of disappointment and indifference, always mild at best and token at worst. He didn't blame anyone for reacting that way either. A year was too short for any meaningful attachment to form, and in the great constant of school life his presence was a fleeting one.

It was as he was leaving that he was accosted by classmates wishing him well. He responded in kind, more out of politeness than anything, until a pair of his friends, temporary ones he had rented out for the year, of average height and looks with a standard interest in sports, games and girls, approached him with teasing looks.

"Man, sucks to be you, having to move to the ass end of nowhere and all," one said, sounding far less sympathetic than he ought to. "But that's life, I guess."

The other gave a helpless shrug. "Don't know how I'll get any homework done without you around. Man, maybe I'll actually need to study on my own now."

"As if. You'll just call him up the moment you need help."

"Can you even get a phone signal over there?"

"Do they even have phones?"

The two shared a laugh. Yu offered a half-smile, not really seeing the funny side but not being able to muster up the resistance to tell them to stop. That was just how they were, never taking anything seriously, complacent in their lives and always relying on Yu's smarts to get them out of trouble, be it with helping them with homework or talking down the students and teachers they pissed off.

He left them with short goodbye and "it's been fun" – though if he were being honest, it hadn't – and walked out into the hallway to promises of "we'll stay in touch" being thrown at his back. He was only a few steps down the corridor before he bumped into a first year girl in a neighbouring class. She was a bookish girl, with thick hair and glasses, who spent most of her time in the library. She had become something of a study partner for him.

"I heard you were leaving school," she said, and sighed sadly. "Just when I was hoping we'd be in the same class next year, too. Now who am I going to talk to about books?"

He didn't know what to say. He didn't think she was accusing him but somehow he felt like it was his fault. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. These things happen. If I start missing you I can just call you." She gave him a smile and a wave. "Take care."

He broke off from her and left he school building altogether, having not been stopped by as many people as he would have liked. On the school grounds, he met a third year who was the captain of his sport's club, a tall, well-built man with a buzz cut and a square jaw.

"Hey man, heard the news. I'll be honest, it's gonna be tough to find someone as good as you. You were a real worker." He patted Yu on the shoulder with a large, meaty hand. "Still, we'll have to make do. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

With that, he left Yu alone at the front of the school. He took in the building for one last time, and felt no real reluctance to leave. He didn't feel much of anything. The school was just another to check off the list, and somehow he felt that he would meet the same people at Inaba, just in different guises.

* * *

He returned home to an empty house. Both his parents had jetted off overseas a day ago without so much as a goodbye or take care. As soon as they had received confirmation that Yu's belongings had safely arrived in Inaba, they were gone, like they had just dumped their unruly child at the day-care, brushed off their hands, and went off to indulge in hobbies now that they were free of their burden. He recalled the last conversations he had with them.

His mother had been at the dining room table one afternoon, nose deep in thick musky tomes, reference books and printed journals. There was enough to cover the entire table, which could usually seat about eight people despite them being a family of three. Yu remembered taking a journal off a stack, opening it up to the first page and immediately feeling dizzy as he was assaulted by highly technical jargon and concepts he could scarcely comprehend.

"It's too early for you to be reading about robotics," his mother said without looking up from her book. Yu placed the book back atop the stack, delicately so as to not send it tumbling over. "I could get you some beginner's books, though. Oh, but you'd need to improve your maths and physics grades first, otherwise it'll just fly over your head instead of into it."

"My grades have improved," said Yu, a little defensively.

"Yes, but they can still be better. Kirijo wouldn't even consider you for one of their apprenticeship schemes." Here, his mother finally looked up at him, peering at him over her glasses. "Maybe if you attended Gekkoukan, you'd have a chance, but…" She shook her head and returned to her reading. "Well, some things aren't meant to be."

Gekkoukan High School had been an option for Yu when he was in Middle School. His parents were happy to pay the tuition and send him off to live in a dorm for the next three years, and he was happy to do so if it meant being able to stay in one place for a while. But 2009 proved to be a disastrous year for the area: a mysterious illness saw thousands enter into comas, while two students and Gekkoukan's director lost their lives. Although the circumstances around the deaths were never clear, there was a notable decrease in applicants for the following year. Yu was one of those who had to look elsewhere.

Up until recently, though, it still remained an option. His mother worked and owned a flat in Iwatodai, and if not for his mother being relocated to an overseas branch, he could have transferred to Gekkoukan instead of Yasogami. But there was no preventing his mother from leaving, not least because she had been looking forward to the opportunity for years. Yu was just unavoidable collateral damage.

As for his father, him being home was a rarity, and him being out of his study was even rarer. Yu didn't so much as talk to him as he had a consultation with him; the only way to speak with him was to book an appointment and be prepared to be placed on a lengthy waiting list.

It was during these appointments that his father would always interrogate him about school, specifically the people he knew. Yu's answers were consistent: he had a lot of acquaintances, but no friends.

"Yu, my boy, what you need is not friends, but connections," his father would say, usually sat in his study and tapping away at his laptop, _connecting_. Yu would always ask what the difference was, and would always get the same, condescending answer. "The difference is in the _balance_ , of course. Friendship is illogical, difficult to form and ever harder to maintain with little reward. One side is always giving while the other always receives. Connections, on the other hand, are all about mutual benefit. Both sides understand that in order to receive they must first give. Do you understand now, Yu?"

When he thought about those words now, he found them difficult to deny. He had given people his intelligence, knowledge, expertise, talent, and time in the hopes of receiving friendship in return, but they had taken everything without giving him anything.

His classmates would miss him because they would longer receive his help when they slacked off. That girl would miss him because she would no longer benefit from his intelligence or knowledge about books. His sport's club captain would miss because he would no longer have his talent on his team.

If his father was appraising them, he would call them worthless. They were pointless as friends and no good as connections. They might as well be parasites. And then he would round on Yu, asking what he had been doing for a year.

Yu wouldn't have a defence. Not a single friend, nor a single worthwhile connection. He might as well not have bothered.

Maybe next time he wouldn't.

Of course, he did have questions about his father's philosophy on people. Did his dad's philosophy apply to his family as well? Did he give his love to his mother so he could receive a child, a possible heir, in return? Did he give Yu the "opportunity" to meet many different people, and form many different connections, so that he would be ready one to work for him, if not take over? He didn't have the guts to ask these questions, for fear his father would confirm a long-held suspicion and cast their status as a "family" into doubt.

Really, they felt less like a family and more like three people had been thrown into a dorm together, came and went as they pleased, and stayed only to eat, sleep and study. Though if he was being accurate, that only applied to his parents. He was more like their pet hamster who had to be passed around from person to person.

And this was just one problem. Perhaps the root of everything, but still just one, solitary issue out of several.

* * *

He was in the taxi, on route to the train station. The driver's attempts at starting up a conversation had finally stopped when it became apparent Yu wasn't going to give anything more than grunts and monosyllabic responses. His mind wasn't in the taxi at that moment, but in the future.

By the end of his year in Inaba, he doubted he would be any different to how he was now. He just couldn't see how things could possibly change. It would be a year in stasis until his next, thrilling move at the behest of his parents.

After that, he would be in his final year of high school. After that, he would be… well, he didn't really know. In a lot of ways, it wasn't his decision to make. After all, he had parents that were grooming him, in their own way, in their own image, pulling him along the path they designed for him.

He tried to look at the positives. A year in the countryside with his uncle would be like an escape from city life. He would be meeting an entirely different type of people, and experiencing an entirely different type of life. Maybe he would make friends this time, maybe he would find love, maybe he would learn things about himself he didn't even know. It could be a novel experience, something fun, exciting and enlightening.

But who was he kidding? He had no reason to expect any of that to be the case. It was only a small hope; one he was sure to extinguish as soon as possible before it turned into disappointment. An amazing year like that was best confined to his dreams.

He sighed and look out the window at a traffic light currently shining red. His thoughts had been spiralling down into the gutter for far too long. He tried to muster up some sliver of positivity, if only because the ride to Inaba would be a long one, and he didn't want to be wallowing in his own bitterness for its entirety. Something, he thought, had to give eventually. The longer this lifestyle went on, the closer he would be to a point where something changed. For better or worse, be it in the near or distant future something would inevitably change.

Until then, he just had to endure.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a place between mind and matter, dream and reality, and the conscious and the unconscious, a limousine accelerated down a road of cracked asphalt.

Its destination was unknown. None of its passengers nor the driver knew where they were headed.

A thick fog closed in from all sides. No matter which direction they looked, they could not see a thing.

Nonetheless, the wheels turned, and the limousine moved in a direction.

Inside, the passengers waited calmly. A man wore a broad smile, as if he was enjoying their current trip into unknown territory. He occupied himself by shuffling a deck of cards. Eventually, he drew three, and placed them onto a small table.

Suddenly, he snickered, and gazed into the space ahead of him, as if someone was standing there.

"Well now. It appears that we will soon have a guest with an intriguing destiny," he said. "You will find that the road that lies ahead of you is one shrouded in fog. It is one that should not be walked alone." He chuckled. "But we shall tend to the details of your fate another time. For now, you may look forward, as the year ahead will be a turning point in your destiny."

Back in the taxi, a silver haired boy continued to look out the window. He watched a set of traffic lights remain stuck in red, until suddenly they changed to green, and they were moving again, onwards to the next chapter in his life.


	2. CH1: It's Only for a Year

**Chapter One**

 _ **It's Only for a Year**_

When yet another passenger alighted from the train, leaving only three remaining in the carriage, Yu knew he was on course to the middle of nowhere.

Oh, the journey had been pleasant enough. The sparse population of his carriage was preferable to the humid, sweaty orgies that took place daily on the big city trains. For one, he could breathe without a concoction of perfumes and deodorants wafting up his nose, and he could move without violating anyone or being violated by anyone. He could read without either having to hold the book an inch away from his face or use someone's back as a book-rest. Most of all, he could think in peace, to the backdrop of an idyllic countryside. The view from the carriage window as the train sped over a bridge was of a gaping lake sparkling in the afternoon sun, surrounded by vast emerald fields.

But as countryside turned into drab, grey concrete and rundown buildings, he figured he had already seen the sights of his new home, which didn't bode well. Neither did the glum faces of the carriage's other occupants who, as the carriage decelerated, sleepily rose from their seats and gathered their belonging from the luggage rack. A mechanical voice rung throughout the carriage.

 _Yaso-Inaba... Yaso-Inaba..._

Yaso-Inaba station – the gateway to the small, isolated, and totally unremarkable countryside town called Inaba, and the latest in a long list of places Yu would call home until his parents decided to relocate him. This time, they had sent him to live with his uncle, who's face and name he couldn't even recall, such was the length of time since he last saw the man. Living with a stranger wouldn't be too different to living alone.

Alone, in the middle of nowhere. His parents had picked a real winner this time.

Standing with a tired sigh, he pulled down and shouldered his duffel bag from the luggage rack (his belongings had been sent in advance of his arrival). The train slowed to a crawl before coming to a stop in a cramped station with empty platforms. To the sound of the robotic voice announcing the station name, Yu followed the other passengers off of the train and onto the platform.

It was four in the afternoon, on the 11th of April, 2011. He made sure to note the date, for it marked the beginning of what would be the most unremarkable year in his life.

He had no way of knowing then that the moment he stepped foot in Inaba was the moment everything would change.

* * *

The first person Yu met wasn't his uncle, as planned, but an attractive, wistful looking girl who had been loitering outside the station. Her dark hair was cut short, and neatly parted down the middle. She wore a white sleeveless blouse with a black tie hanging loosely around her next, and a plaid red skirt. Her legs were covered with thigh-high white and black stockings, and a pair of black boots. The style was loud, eccentric, and not something Yu expected to see in the countryside.

Her green eyes met his. No words were exchanged. She seemed to be studying him, not in the "checking out" way, but in the way someone looked at an entirely unknown, foreign presence for the first time. Then, without any other sign of acknowledgement, she looked elsewhere and walked away, the heels of her boots steadily tapping against the concrete. Yu watched her, blinked, and wondered what she had been doing waiting there until he decided he didn't care and went to look for his uncle.

It was a surprisingly easy task, given he had no idea what the man looked like.

The man himself was waiting for him outside the station, as arranged. He was leaning against his car, a white SUV, while smoking a cigarette. When he saw Yu, he took one last drag before dropping the stub onto the group and stomping it out with the heel of his shoe, and walked over while holding his jacket over his shoulder. He was a tall man, slightly taller than Yu, with short, greying hair, attentive dark eyes, and a healthy amount of stubble. He wore a grey dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark trousers.

"Are you Yu Narukami?" he spoke with a deep, authoritative voice. Yu nodded. "I'm Ryotaro Dojima, your uncle. Your mother's my older sister."

He and Yu shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you."

"I suppose you wouldn't remember me." He smiled wryly. "Last time you were here, you were still in diapers."

It was here that Yu noticed the tiny girl peeking out from behind Dojima's leg. She squeaked and hid herself again, but Dojima gently ushered her in front of him. She was barely as tall as his waist, and had a meek expression. Her brown hair was tied into short pigtails. She wore a white turtle neck covered by a pink vest, and a brown knee-length skirt.

"This is my daughter, Nanako." He placed both hands on her shoulders as Nanako looked anywhere but at Yu. "Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

"H-hello."

She spoke so quietly that even in his current silent surroundings Yu could barely hear her. She quickly ducked behind her father's leg again. Dojima chucked.

"What are you getting all shy for?" Nanako smacked him in the back, eliciting another laugh from him. "Well, let's get going. The car's over there."

Yu took his seat in the back of Dojima's car, while Nanako sat up front with her father. He could smell an odd mix of cigarette smoke and air freshener, and spotted an unhealthy number of cigarette butts piled into a trash compartment. The ride was entirely silent, save for the sound of passing traffic. Yu occupied himself by looking out the door window, noting that the view was far less spectacular than the one from the train. Inaba wasn't quite rundown, but was clearly an area that saw little in the way of redevelopment, and signs of age were beginning to show on the buildings.

The silence was eventually broken by Nanako announcing she had to use the bathroom. They pulled into a gas station, the most modern thing Yu had seen so far. As they came to a stop alongside a gas pump, a store attendant, dressed in a red and orange jacket and donning a red cap, came running around.

"Hi, welcome to Moel!" he said as they were stepping out of the car.

"Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" Dojima asked Nanako. She nodded once and made her way towards the main building.

"It's in the back, to your left." The attendant smiled. "Know which way is left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in."

Nanako looked back and pouted. "I know. Geez..."

Still smiling, the attendant turned to Dojima. "Are you taking a trip?"

"No, we just came to pick him up." Dojima pointed at Yu. "He's just moved here from the big city."

"Is that right?"

"Oh, fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine." Dojima stuck a hand into his trouser pocket and pulled out his carton of cigarettes. "Good as time as any for a smoke…"

Dojima wondered off to the other side of the street, lighting up a cigarette as he went. Yu stood by the car and glanced up at the overcast sky. It wasn't long ago that the sun was out. He suspected it would rain soon.

"There's not much to do out here, is there?" Yu looked back down to see the station attendant talking to him with a friendly smile. "People from the big city come here and get bored really fast. You'll either be hanging out with friends or doing part-time jobs."

Yu could only see himself doing one of those things, though he kept that to himself.

"Speaking of which," the attendant said, a segue way so natural he must have done it hundreds of time before, "we're actually looking for part-time help right now. Think about it, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student."

He held out a hand. Yu stared at it, and considered if he really wanted to work as a gas station attendant at a place that likely only saw a handful of customers per day. He could see himself, waiting outside in that jacket and cap, watching the town's residents meandering about their daily lives, an activity that would be the equivalent to watching paint dry or grass grow.

Unappealing as that all was, he saw no reason not to keep his options open. He was sure his father would be proud of him.

Yu shook the attendant's hand. Up close, he could see wisps of grey hair poking out from under his cap, and a pair of dark eyes that glistened with something he couldn't quite identify. The smile never left the attendant's face.

When his hand was released, the world suddenly started spinning. Head throbbing, he reached out and steadied himself against the car. He thought he caught, out of the corner of his eye, a smirk on the attendant's face, but when he looked again he was merely busying himself with the gas pump, paying no heed to what he was doing.

He took a couple of deep, calming breathes, and felt the urge to hurl leave. The world came back into focus again. He had no idea where that dizzy spell came from, and reasoned that either there was something wrong with the air, or he must have been tired from his long journey.

Overhead, the clouds stirred and darkened.

* * *

The Dojima residence, a detached house on a slope in the eastern side of Inaba, was a nice enough place. Unlike his family home in the city, which was just a bit too large, a bit too over-decorated, and a bit too empty, this house was small, cramped, and, if the chipped wall paper and fading colour on the tatami was anything to go by, in need of some upkeep.

Yu was sitting cross legged on a tiny, thinning cushion in front of small table barely big enough to contain that night's dinner of cheap store bought sushi. Sitting opposite him and doing her best to not look him in the eye was Nanako. His uncle sat between them, his back to a low-riding sofa.

"So," Dojima started, "you parents are busy as always. Working overseas, right?" Yu nodded, and took a sip of tea. Dojima looked thoughtfully at his food. "Getting stuck in a place like this because your parents are working all the time… it's rough being a kid."

At this, Nanako stopped eating and stared forlornly at her lap. Dojima didn't seem to notice.

"It's only for a year," said Yu.

"Still, so long as you're here you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

 _Part of the family_. The words didn't mean much coming from a stranger.

Dinner continued quietly. He picked at his sushi while looking around the room. In the corner was an old TV set, and alongside that were pair of cream curtains that hung in front of a glass door. Outside, he could see the tall wall surrounding the house, and the dark sky. Rain drops began to splatter against the glass, gradually at first, before a full downpour developed.

Dojima's phone rang. He sighed and took the phone from his trouser pocket. "Who's calling at this hour?" He stood up and walked into the kitchen area, where he answered the phone and had a quick and hushed conversation. He then stuffed the phone back into his pocket and sighed again. "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze."

Nanako looked up from her food. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. Sorry, something's come up. Go ahead and eat without me." Dojima collected his carton of cigarettes and car keys that he left on the kitchen table. "I don't know how late I'll be. Help him out, okay, Nanako?"

"…okay."

Dojima walked over to the shoe wrack and replaced his slippers. He slid open the front door and the sound of rainfall burst into the house.

"Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?"

"I already brought it in!"

"Okay. Well, I'm off!"

The door was slid shut. Nanako stared after him a moment and then switched on the TV. A suited woman appeared on the screen. Behind her was a blown up map of Japan.

" _-for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown for tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in some areas."_

Nanako resumed eating while watching the TV. Yu thought she looked lonely, yet at the same time indifferent to him. He considered starting up a conversation with her, but found he had no idea what a child like her would even want to talk about. Neo Featherman, maybe. Did kids still watch that?

One topic did come to mind – he was curious about what line of work required his uncle to leave home in the evening.

"He investigates stuff. Like crime scenes," said Nanako. "My dad's a detective."

If a detective had been called away on business so late at night, it usually meant something had happened.

" _And now for the local news. City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public air."_

"This is boring," complained Nanako. He agreed. Celebrity affairs were best confined to magazines and tabloids, and hardly made the news in the city. That it was main news in Inaba meant it must have been a slow news day.

Not that that was necessarily a bad thing.

Nanako changed the channel. A commercial was airing – a young girl on a beach of white sand, sitting under a parasol while pressing a perspiring can of soft drink to her pretty face. The camera panned back enough to show her cherry red hair cascading down her back, and a bikini top that offered a generous and tantalising glimpse of cleavage. Yu thought she looked familiar. What was her name? Risotto, Riser, Rissechi... something like that.

The image changed again, to another commercial.

" _At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!"_

Nanako sang along with the jingle at the end of the commercial and then, as if nothing happened, looked at Yu. "Aren't you going to eat?"

He finished up his meal in silence.

* * *

The rain pelted against his bedroom windows relentlessly. Through the watery trails left behind by raindrops, he could see rows upon rows of houses in the darkness, and the headlights of the rare car that drove by. Without the roar of traffic and the flashing neon lights that shone throughout the night, night time in Inaba was peaceful, almost eerily so.

Yu drew the curtains and surveyed his room. Brown walls met green tatami, which was seemingly the universal colour scheme for the house. Covering most of the floor was a checkered blue rug. Underneath the window was a black two-seater sofa, facing a small table. Opposite that was a display cabinet and a wooden chest of drawers. Atop the draws was a box-shaped TV with a limited selection of channels and a VHS recorder. In the corner opposite the door was a work desk, and in the opposing corner was his futon.

All in all, not the worse room he had ever been in. A space to read, study and sleep was all he really needed.

He set about unpacking his clothes and laid out his new school uniform. Tomorrow, he would start his second year of high school at Yasogami High. He had stopped keeping count of the number of schools he attended in his life so far, and the prospect of yet another first day introducing himself to his temporary class mates had long since stopped making him feel anxious. It was standard procedure by now: let the teacher explain his circumstances, introduce himself, sit where he was told to sit, then give the usual answers to the usual questions transfer students got.

He expected nothing more than that, nor did he wish for it. He would only be in Inaba for a year, after all. He'd be gone as quickly and quietly as he arrived.

That night, he dreamt he was in the back of a limousine with blue, padded seats, and receiving a fortune telling from a squat man with a round head and a frighteningly long nose. He would think nothing of it the following morning, only the man's words about disasters, mysteries and finding the truth would linger curiously in his mind for the entire day.

* * *

He was walking down a path of red shrouded in fog so thick he could barely see his own hand in front of him.

It was neither cold nor warm. There was no sound, or smell. He was the only one on the path.

 _Do you seek the truth?_

All he could do was walk forward. He didn't know where the path would lead. The dense fog made it impossible to tell how far he had travelled, or how many twists and turns there were on the path.

 _If it's truth you desire, come and find me._

There was a door. It opened with a single touch of his hand. Beyond it was nothing but grey wilderness.

He wasn't alone in the wilderness. He could feel a presence. He looked all around, but saw nothing. Then, in the distance, he spotted it. A shadow of something.

 _So it seems you can see a little, even in the fog._

He tried approaching it. He walked and walked, but seemed to get no closer to the shadow.

 _You possess an interesting quality, but if what you pursue is truth, your search will be even harder._

The shadow seemed to shrink in the distance, pulling further and further away from him until he could barely see a speck of darkness in the fog.

 _Everyone sees what they want to._

 _Perhaps will we meet again, in a place other than here._

The fog grew thicker, until he could no longer see anymore. He felt his consciousness leave him. He heard laughter.

 _I look forward to it._

Then he saw no more.

* * *

The rain continued into the morning of April 12th. Yu, wearing his school uniform and carrying a clear umbrella in one hand and his school bag in the other, was headed to Yasogami High. Having crossed the Samegawa river, he was approaching a gentle slope that would lead up to where the school was. Around him were other students, some walking casually under their umbrellas, others running like mad up the hill using their bags or blazers as make shift cover.

A few years ago, he might have considered the rain a bad omen for his first day of school, but today, rain was just rain, and school was just school.

Behind him, he heard the squeaking of a bicycle. Another student, male, with brown hair, was attempting to pedal across the slick road with one hand while he balanced an umbrella with the other. He wobbled past Yu and then, with a yelp, lost control of his front wheel and went skidding into a nearby telephone poll. The momentum forced him off his bike seat and crotch first into the bike's iron handlebars. The students around them either winced in sympathy or laughed, but none stopped to check if he was alright.

Yu knew what this was. It was a "flag" – a set-up for him to check on the guy, to make small talk and then become acquaintances. Experience told him that, in this situation, showing concern and offering help was the way to go. If he wanted to, he could reach out to the guy and form some sort of connection with him, one that might last throughout the school year, but probably no longer than that. He'd be out of town, and the other guy would stop caring.

That was how it usually went, anyway.

He walked on past him, intending to leave him be, but found his groans of pain difficult to ignore. He swung his bag onto his shoulder, backtracked, and offered a hand out to the brunet who, by that point, was on his haunches taking a few deep breathes.

"You okay?"

"Do I look okay?" the brunet ground out. Then, realising he was talking to a stranger, he sighed and let Yu pull him back to his feet. "I'll be fine. Just a bump. Damn tires weren't gripping as well as they used to."

The brunet leant down, picked up his bike and began inspecting its tires. Assured that he was okay, Yu left him alone, and continued on towards school before any conversation could develop.

* * *

Class 2-2 looked at Yu as if he was the most interesting thing in town, and for all knew at that moment, he probably was. He counted around twenty students in the room, and noted the dark-haired girl wearing a red cardigan over her shirt, the brunette sitting behind her wearing the top-half of a green tracksuit, and the guy who crashed his bike earlier at the very back, lying his head on the desk and wearing a pair of bright orange headphones. Someone had told him that Yasogami High was a traditional, old fashioned school, but clearly that only applied to its appearance, and not its dress code.

"Awright, you brats listen up!" spoke the teacher standing next to Yu. He was a hideous looking man, with a gaunt face and pronounced chin. The top four row of his teeth were slanted and seemed incapable of hiding behind his lip. On his head was an obvious wig, styled in a comb over with short back and sides. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today onward. First things first!" he slapped his hands on the teaching podium and leant over it, seemingly in an attempt to spit in everyone's faces at once, "Just cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow."

The class began mumbling to each other. Yu caught some very colourful insults directed towards "King Moron". The man himself smacked the podium again.

"Shut yet traps! I don't want to waste any more time, so I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack," he jabbed a spindly finger in Yu's direction, "has been thrown from the big city to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage, and he's just as much as a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!" Lips curled into a sneer, he spoke to Yu, "Tell 'em your name kid, and make it quick."

Yu was going to, but Morooka's words bounced around in his head. He was the first teacher he'd met to openly insult him in front of a class, and he felt like honouring the occasion by talking back to one for the first time.

"Who are you calling a loser?"

The air was sucked out the room the moment he spoke those words. Morooka's brow was raised almost as high as his fake hairline, until it morphed back into a sneer, as if he really was looking at a piece of yesterday's garbage.

"That's it. You're on my shitlist, effective immediately." Morooka stepped closer to him, until they were almost face-to-face. Yu didn't back down at all. "Listen here, kid. This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You might get away with your cheek over there, but here we value a little something called respect. Now go siddown, I don't care where."

Yu swallowed down the numerous retorts that were on the tip of his tongue, some of which would have earned him a suspension, and scanned the room for an empty desk. The girl in the green tracksuit top stood up and gestured to the empty seat next to her.

"You can sit here, if you want."

Having no reason to decline, he walked over, placed his bag on a hook on the side of the desk, and took a seat. As soon as he did so, the girl leaned over and started whispering.

"He's a real ass, huh? Rotten luck for you to be stuck in this class."

He gave a half-hearted shrug. "It's only for a year."

He had a feeling he'd be saying those words an awful lot before he actually left.

"I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

The order prevented any further chatter. Morooka went through the list of names, spitting out each one as if they'd done something to personally insult him. The girl alongside him answered loudly to "Chie Satonaka", while the girl in red gave a quieter response to "Yukiko Amagi". The boy at the back of the room gave weary response to "Yosuke Hanamura". When Morooka got his own name, he didn't say anything, and only ticked the name with enough force to tear the paper.

Afterwards, Morooka talked about the year ahead. Yu, like most of the class, tuned him out and decided to get a better look at his classroom. Compared to his previous school, it was a downgrade in size and facilities, but as far as looks went, he didn't think there was much difference between the wooden floorboards and faded colours of this room and the bland newness of his previous class.

His thoughts were interrupted by the student intercom buzzing into life.

" _Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the faculty office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."_

Morooka grunted. "You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise."

He left the classroom, forcefully sliding the door shut behind him. Once he was gone, chatter erupted. Morooka being a notorious asshole and the recent announcement were the topics of discussion. Faintly, he could hear sirens blaring in the distance. A few students congregated around the windows in an attempt to see something in the distance, but a thick fog had rolled in.

Yu contemplated what he would do for the rest of the day. The weather was too poor for him to explore the town. Maybe he would reread one of his books, or practice his origami, or even his growing repertoire of magic tricks. Around him, he could hear people making plans to visit Junes together, or invite people around their homes to play video games.

Another announcement came over the intercom.

" _There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the school zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."_

More talk – a mixture of excitement and worry. Any incident that required students to head straight home must have been serious. He wondered if his uncle being called away on business last night was related at all.

Right on cue, his phone vibrated. He flipped it open to see a brief message from his uncle.

 _I've already picked up Nanako. Head straight home._

He stood and shouldered his bag. He was about to leave the classroom, but was intercepted by a smiling Chie.

"Are you going home by yourself? Why don't you come with us?" Yu stared at her blankly as he thought about the best way of declining. She mistook it for something else. "Oh, nearly forgot. I'm Chie Satonaka. I sit next to you."

 _I thought it was someone else_ , he thought. Best keep that one to himself.

"Yu Narukami," he said.

"Nice to meet you!" chirped Chie. She pulled Yukiko over by the sleeve of her cardigan. "This is my friend, Yukiko Amagi."

Yukiko looked mildly surprised to suddenly be in front of Yu, but quickly put on a polite smile.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry this is so sudden."

"C'mon, don't apologise like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing," muttered Chie. "I just wanted to ask some stuff, is all."

This was another "flag", Yu realised, and one he anticipated. It didn't matter where you were, transfer students were interesting. They were fresh blood; a new, unfamiliar face who came with an air of mystery that attracted attention. He would be quickly interrogated on everything – where he came from, what his old home was like, why he had to move, if he had a favourite food or sports team or manga, what his type was – and then once people got the information they wanted and the mystery was fully unravelled, he would become old news. Just another piece of the classroom furniture.

Curiosity was flattering but he wasn't in the mood to indulge it anymore. Fortunately, Yosuke was on hand to provide him an escape route. He wandered over tentatively, carrying a DVD case.

"Um, Miss Satonaka." He hesitated. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see, and... I'm really sorry, but please have mercy on me until my next paycheck!"

He thrust the DVD into Chie's hands and dashed towards the classroom door.

"What did you do to my DVD?" demanded Chie. With impressive speed, she burst forward and closed the distance between her and Yosuke. Her leg snapped up, and her foot planted itself into his crotch. The impact brought him to his knees, and drew sharp intakes of breath from the males in the room. Even Yu had to grimace at that one, knowing that Yosuke had received his second blow to the nads that day.

While Chie was distracted, Yu slipped out the room via the other door and walked briskly through the hallway and down the stairs. He got as far the school gate before he heard Chie's hurried voice urging him to stop.

Yu did so, and waited for her and Yukiko to catch up.

"Why'd you leave?" asked Chie.

"You looked busy," he said.

Chie sighed. "That was just Yosuke being Yosuke. My Trial of the Dragon..." she shook her head ruefully, "well, let's just say he owes me. Anyway, did you want to walk home together? I bet there's a lot we could tell you about Inaba."

He wanted to say no, and that he was well capable of finding things out about Inaba on his own, but thought it inconsiderate to blow Chie off twice, especially after she made the effort to catch up with him.

"I don't mind."

The smile returned to her face. "Great. Let's go."

The three them were only a couple of steps out the gate before they were stopped by a boy wearing the uniform of another school. He had dark hair, and a pair of unsettling, dead eyes that locked on to Yukiko.

"Y-you're Yuki, right? You want to go hang out somewhere?"

Yukiko took a step back. "What? Who are you?"

Instead of introducing himself, the boy stared at her. His breathing was heavy. Nearby students stopped to watch the situation unfold. Yu caught the words "Amagi Challenge", and gleamed that things like this were a common occurrence.

Judging by Yukiko's response, though, she had yet to encounter a guy this creepy.

"Are you coming or not?" the boy said, almost sounding petulant. He was no expert on asking out girls, but even Yu knew this guy didn't have a clue.

"I'm not going," was Yukiko's predictable response.

The boy grit his teeth and balled up his fists. "Fine!" he spat, before running off down the hill.

He had been in Inaba for little more than a day, but Yu doubted he would meet someone as creepy as that.

* * *

Chie, he quickly discovered, could talk for a long time. Whether she was always like that, or whether she felt the need to fill the silence that wasn't being filled by either him or Yukiko, she threw fact after fact about Inaba at him like a salesperson in desperate need to shift a defunct product. Stuff about pottery, fabric, and an old inn all flew over his head, but he was content to let her waffle if it kept her from prying into his circumstances.

Not that he had much to hide or any reason to hide anything. It was just nice to have a different conversation, is all. No matter what people thought, his life wasn't _that_ interesting.

His mind was starting to drift when Chie sprung an unexpected question on him.

"So, you think Yukiko's cute, right?"

Chie had the mischievous look of someone playing a prank on a friend, with a glint of expectation in her eye. He looked over head at Yukiko. Her eyes met his but then darted away and stared at the ground as she gripped the hem of her fleece. He didn't answer the question, something Chie took for shyness, but was, in reality, his way of not making things any more uncomfortable for Yukiko.

For the record, he did think she was attractive.

"Chie, don't start this again," she pleaded.

Chie ignored her. "She's so popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Isn't that weird?"

Yukiko tugged at Chie's jacket. "Come on, stop it." She looked at Yu. "You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend."

"So you've had one? When was this?" Chie prodded her with a teasing grin. Yukiko realised her mistake and gave a frantic shake of her head.

"No, what I meant to say was, I don't _need_ a boyfriend." There was a pause. Yukiko huffed. "Geez, Chie…"

She laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. This is our chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you hadn't said anything."

Yu hadn't said anything either, but he supposed he didn't have a friend to tease him into the conversation.

The three continued to walk down the road until they came to an intersection. A small crowd had gathered there in front of a police barrier. A pair of housewives conversed loudly with one another, and from it Yu gleamed that they had stumbled upon the sight of the incident.

A murder, by the sounds of things.

It was at that moment that a suited man came barrelling through the barrier, past the three of them and the gathered crowd, and started vomiting into a bush. His uncle followed him.

"Adachi! How long are you going to keep acting like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office?" he barked. The other man, Adachi, only vomited more in response. Dojima sighed. "Wash your face when you're done. We need to gather information."

"Was this what that announcement was about?" muttered Chie, looking reproachfully at Adachi.

"We should leave," said Yu, watching as a pale Adachi and ranting Dojima crossed over the police barrier.

Chie nodded. "Yeah, we can hang out some other time. Right, Yukiko?"

Yukiko was quick to agree. "Good idea."

With a hurried goodbye, the two departed. Yu took a final look at the scene and the overly curious onlookers before leaving. Curiosity, he thought, was flattering, but he doubted that the victim, given the choice, would have wanted to indulge it.

* * *

The incident was top news that evening.

" _Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba. The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide."_

Murder always made the news, no matter where you were. In the city, it was something to be brushed off as just another of the world's unfortunate events. It was never close to you, so there was no need to think about it.

In a small, isolated town like Inaba, however, a local murder was a big deal. People were closer, better connected. The victim was someone most people would know, while the culprit could still be in town, far too close for anyone's comfort. Inevitably, rumour and accusation would spread quickly.

As far as Yu knew, Inaba wasn't a place where there was a lot of crime. Everything he had heard and been told suggested it was a peaceful place that only ever needed a small police force, and he liked to think his parents wouldn't have sent him somewhere that had a reputation for being dangerous.

But in the back of his mind appeared a sliver from a dream. Words of a collapsed tower, signalling disaster, and a moon, signalling mystery. He looked out his bedroom window, trying to spot the moon. He couldn't see it. The fog that settled in that morning was still there, denser than before.

When he thought back on the day, some things fell within expectation, while others didn't. He hadn't expected a teacher like Morooka, or a creepy guy hanging outside the school gate, or a homicide to occur just a short distance from his school. Perhaps there was more to Inaba than he thought – maybe the town wasn't as far from a city of perverts and assholes as Morooka suggested.

He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but he went to sleep that night feeling that next day could well be just as interesting.


	3. CH2: The Fog that Chills

**A/N: A quick thank you for those who have given this a follow/favourite. I realise these opening chapters are a bit on the slow side, but it's all necessary to build the world and establish character and whatnot.**

 **This time: the gang discover the TV world, Yu worries he's becoming a schizophrenic.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 _ **The Fog that Chills**_

The 13th of April began with the sight of Yosuke Hanamura stuck head-first in a dust bin.

It was, of course, another cycling accident. The guy had pushed past him on his bright yellow, squeaking machine, lost control of the wheel again and crashed into a pile of garbage. With remarkable precision, he had fallen off his bike and straight into an empty dust bin, which tumbled over with him inside it, rolling back and forth and kicking his legs.

As amusing as the sight was, Yu couldn't leave him be.

Once he had managed to separate person from bin, he helped Yosuke to his feet. Yosuke took a few deep breathes and sighed in relief.

"You saved me. Thanks, um…"

"Yu."

His face lit up in recognition. "That's right, you're the transfer student." He knelt down and stood his bike up, once again inspecting for any damage. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet'cha."

"Your bike okay?"

"I don't know. I've been needing a new one for a while," said Yosuke. "Although what I really want is a motorcycle."

If he was so accident prone on a bike, Yu would hate to see what he'd be like on a motorcycle in the middle of traffic.

The two walked to school together, Yosuke wheeling his bike. Yu thought they'd talk about banal things like school and how he was fitting in at Inaba, and so was slightly taken aback when the conversation took a morbid turn.

"I've been thinking about that incident from yesterday," he said. "They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna, right? Don't you think it was some kind of warning? There's no way something freaky like that could have been an accident."

Yu didn't know what possessed him to talk about the murder to a stranger, but couldn't deny his theory entirely. The unusual position that the body was found in suggested that it was no ordinary homicide.

"You could be right."

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like… that's messed up. Then again, killing someone in the first place is pretty messed up."

He had nothing to say to that. Not like he really disagreed, but then they knew nothing of the killer's motive and the circumstances surrounding Yamano's death. It wasn't worth discussing at this point.

Things like that were best left to the professionals, like his uncle.

Yosuke seemed to sense his reluctance to talk about the incident and changed the topic.

"You been to Junes yet?"

He shook his head. Between settling in, school and the incident, he hadn't the chance to go anywhere just yet.

"We should go there after school. I'll treat you to something for helping me out just now. How about it?"

He saw no harm in letting the guy treat him, so agreed.

* * *

"How did I end up treating two people?" lamented Yosuke as he placed a tray with three milkshakes onto the white table.

Chie snatched one and took a long drink. "That's what you get for breaking other people's property." She fixed him with a glare. "You said there'd be steak here. I'm not seeing any steak."

"Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader's train I had to change my plans."

The Junes food court, situated atop the Junes department store, seemed a popular post-school destination. The white round tables were filled with groups of students of all ages, and long ques formed outside of the food stands. Yosuke had taken Yu and, after she wormed her way into his hospitality with the words "Trial of the Dragon", Chie there having realised that steak for three people would be a very expensive treat. He had invited Yukiko as well, but she was busy working at her inn.

"Still, that's no reason to bring us to your place," Chie said, head propped up by a hand.

"This isn't my place or anything. I just work here."

"It's only been half a year since this place opened, but I've barely been to the shopping district since. A lot of stores started closing and—oh, um…" Chie cut herself short when she caught sight of Yosuke's grimace.

"You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?"

They lapsed into an awkward silence. Chie focused on her drink, while Yosuke seemed content chewing on his straw. Yu supposed it fell to him to redirect the conversation, but to where? Maybe he could ask about Inaba, or talk about the murder, or even ask them what their hobbies are or something. Though it'd only be small talk, and he didn't really care what their hobbies were, and he was quite content to sit in silence until one of them decided it was time to leave.

It was nothing personal. He just wasn't looking for short-term friends.

"Oh, it's Saki-senpai," Yosuke said suddenly, and rose from his chair. "Sorry, I'll be right back."

Yosuke walked over to a nearby table, where a girl with long, curly brown hair, wearing a Junes store apron, had just taken a seat.

"His girlfriend?" asked Yu.

Chie scoffed. "He wishes. That's Saki Konishi. She's in the year above ours. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district, but I think she works here part-time."

Daughter of a family that runs a liquor store in the shopping district, yet working part-time at the superstore that was apparently running those types of shops out of business. Something about that didn't add up.

Yosuke came back, with Saki in tow. She stood in front of Yu.

"You're the new transfer student, right?" she said. "Hana-chan was just telling me about you. You're from the city, just like he is." Yu nodded. "I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with other guys much, so I'm glad you two met."

Yosuke made a choking noise. "N-not necessarily."

Saki continued on as if he wasn't there. "He's a good guy, but he can get pretty nosy at times. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you."

"He hasn't been annoying at all," said Yu. It was the honest truth. They had had about two conversations and neither time did Yosuke seem annoying.

Chie snorted. Evidently, she disagreed.

Saki laughed, though it sounded forced. "I know. I'm just kidding."

"C'mon, senpai, there's no need to worry about something like that," said Yosuke, his cheeks red. Saki reached over and ruffled his hair.

"Well, my break is just about over. Back to work I go," she gave a dramatic sigh, "'Laters!"

As Saki left, Yu thought he saw a scowl appear on her face.

Yosuke sat down at the table again, grinning. "She's says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me. She treats me like her younger brother."

Chile stared at him a moment, and then her lips curled into that mischievous smile. "Ooh, I see how it is. It's forbidden love."

"What are you talking about?"

"The daughter of a local family-run liquor store, and the scion of the invading super-store," she said gravely. "It's straight out of a fairy tale."

Yosuke's face was flushed. "Come on, it's not like that."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Since when did you care about my love life, anyway?"

"Who said I cared?"

The two began bickering. Yu watched them go back and forth a few moments before tuning them out. Really, if they had intended on making him feel welcome they weren't doing a great job it.

From a neighbouring table, he heard a group of students from their school talk about something called the Midnight Channel and soulmates. From what he heard in class, it seemed like a popular rumour.

"What's this Midnight Channel?"

The question cut through Yosuke and Chie's argument and earned him a pair of surprised looks. Whether because of the question itself or because he actually spoke he didn't know.

"It's this rumour," said Chie, "where if you look into a switched TV at exactly midnight on a rainy night, a person will appear on the screen, and that person is supposed to be your soulmate."

"Sounds like some childish urban legend," Yosuke muttered. "How can anyone get excited over something like that?"

"Well, it's meant to be raining tonight. Maybe we could try it out."

Yosuke just stared at her. "Seriously?"

Chie held her arms defensively. "It's just a suggestion! No harm in doing something so _childish_ once in a while, is there?"

Childish or not, Yu decided he would try it out later if for no other reason that he would have nothing better to do.

* * *

That evening, he ate dinner at the table with Nanako, while a weary Dojima sat slumped on the sofa. The news was once again on the TV.

" _Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in an isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi."_

The report went on to repeat already established facts about the case. On the surface, it appeared that the murder revolved around the affair between Yamano and Namatame, which made Hiiragi an obvious suspect. And yet, with Dojima actually at home, and with no new developments in the case, Yu doubted it was that simple.

For one thing, how the killer managed to get the body to hang from an antenna in such thick fog was simply baffling.

The news show showed an interview with the girl who had supposedly discovered the body. Her face was blurred, and her voice distorted in order to protect her identity. The interview didn't reveal much, mostly because the reporter's over-eager questioning unsettled the girl. When Yu looked closer, he could make out a head of brown, curly hair that looked remarkably similar to Saki Konishi's.

A light snoring came from the sofa. Dojima had dozed off sometime after the interview. Nanako looked at him, concern etched all over her face, and sighed. Dojima hadn't even touched his food, let alone held a conversation with his daughter.

Having witnessed a forlorn looking Nanako for the third night in a row, Yu decided to offer some assurances, no matter how empty they seemed.

"It'll be alright."

"I know. It's just his job," was the surprisingly mature response from Nanako. He thought the situation between father and daughter was far from ideal, but found himself at a loss about what he could do about it, and so quietly finished up his meal and returned to his bedroom.

He chipped away at the remaining hours in the day doing the usual – read a book, practice some origami and the odd magic trick – until it was only a couple of minutes before midnight. He stood up from his sofa and looked outside his bedroom window. The rain was pouring down steadily, and showed no sign of abating. His TV was switched off.

The conditions were perfect. Now to see if anything happened.

The clock struck midnight. For a moment, his TV screen remained blank, showing only his reflection, and he was prepared to dismiss the rumour as just that. But then, static appeared on the screen, and the image fizzed and shifted until he could make out the outline of a girl. She seemed panicked, and was running back and forth. She looked vaguely familiar, but the image was too blurry for him to make any individual features.

His head gave a painful throb, like something was trying to burst out from within. His vision swam. A voice rang in his head, deep and imperial.

 _I art thou, and thou art I. Thou art the one who opens the door._

He put a hand to his hand, while his other felt strangely drawn to the TV screen. He reached out and brushed his fingertips against the glass surface and then watched, with morbid fascination, as they went beyond, past the glass and the wiring inside. Ripples appeared on the screen, as if he had stuck his hand into a pool of water.

Then, he felt something pulling him in. With a yelp, he yanked his arm back out of the TV with all his might, and stumbled backwards onto his backside. The pain in his head faded as the TV screen returned to its switched off state. Baffled, all he could do was sit there, listening to the sound of his own heavy breathing and rain clattering against the house roof.

The clock ticked on. It was a few minutes past midnight.

* * *

"Did you see _it_ last night?"

Chie had lowered her voice to a whisper, and her eyes darted about the room. Yu didn't think she needed to be so secretive when what they were discussing was already a hot topic in the classroom.

Yosuke deflected the question. "What about you?"

"I did! I saw a girl!" Chie frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "But does that mean my soulmate is a girl? What's that supposed to mean?"

Yosuke was going to comment, but seemed to think better of it. Yu didn't blame him, having seen the destructive power of Chie's kicks first hand.

"What did she look like?" he asked.

"Her hair was brown, about shoulder length, and she was wearing our school uniform."

Yosuke frowned. "That sounds like the same person I saw," he said slowly.

"I thought you weren't going to bother with some stupid, childish rumour."

"Lay off, I was just bored," said Yosuke with a far off look in his eyes.

"So if we saw the same girl," said Chie, "does that mean we have the same soulmate?"

"Unless you're a lesbian and going to end up in a four-way relationship with Yosuke and me," Yu started, "then the rumour about seeing your soulmate isn't true."

Chie grimaced. "That thought is just a bit too disturbing."

"Tell me about it." Yosuke turned to Yu. "I take it you saw the same person as well, then?"

Yu nodded. If the three of them had seen the same person, then it was also possible that Chie and Yosuke experienced the same thing he had.

"Did anything else happen to you guys? Like, hearing voices."

Yosuke and Chie shared a look. Both shook their heads.

"Maybe you were just tired," Chie offered.

People didn't usually hear voices in their head when they were tired, nor did their arms sink into TV screens. He supposed he could have hallucinated the whole thing; perhaps his TV turning itself on at exactly midnight shocked his mind into conjuring a scenario that was far freakier than it already was.

Yet it was all so real. There was nothing imaginary about the pain he had felt in his head, nor the powerful force which tried to suck him into his small TV entirely.

But why only him? Chie and Yosuke were watching the exact same channel at the exact same time, yet reported that nothing else happened except seeing the person on the TV screen. And it was likely that many other people had watched the Midnight Channel too, but he heard nothing else except talk about soulmates.

It was just when he was starting to wonder if he developing some form of schizophrenia that Yosuke asked him a question.

"Hey, we're going to Junes after school to look at some TVs. Wanna come with?"

Absently, he agreed. He felt a discomfort he couldn't shake, like there was something out of place in the reality he was currently seeing. The headaches, the dizzy spells, the murder, the Midnight Channels, the voices in his head, his arm going through the TV screen, words from a big-nosed man about catastrophe and mystery – he felt there was something connecting all these things, but no matter how hard he thought, the answer remained frustratingly far away.

* * *

A widescreen TV never looked so enticing to Yu before.

It was one of those models that seemed excessive in size with its near fifty-inch screen and excessive in price with a one too many zeroes written on the tag. He wasn't sure who in Inaba, a town where the old box TV and VHS recorder combo was still popular, would have such use for a TV, but Junes still saw the need to have the thing on display, perhaps as a symbol of the future Inaba could enter into one day.

Yu wasn't looking to buy a new TV, but of all the models on display, he felt oddly drawn to this one. His body reflected in its shiny, blank screen, and if he didn't know better, he thought he could feel something radiating from it. Something calling out to him.

A little way away, Yosuke was showing Chie the other models. Chie was showing suitable incredulity at the prices, while Yosuke was doing his best to find something more in her family's price range. Junes' electronics department was otherwise sparse. It was an opportunity for Yu to confirm something that had been bugging him since the previous night, and prove that he wasn't slowly going insane.

He touched the screen with his right hand. With a little force, it went through the screen, creating ripples. He looked to the side, and saw Yosuke and Chie gawking at him, mouths wide, and eyes bugging out their heads.

"That's some magic trick," Yosuke said, his voice an octave higher than usual.

Chie moved to his other side and inspected his arm closely. "How are you doing that? What's the secret?"

Yu pulled his arm out, and then plunged back it in. "There is no trick. It just… goes straight on through."

Chie took a step back. "That is too weird."

He looked around and, sure nobody else was looking, decided to see if he could stick any other body parts in. Namely, his head.

To audible gasps from Chie and Yosuke, he put his head up against the screen and felt a weird sensation wash over his skin before his surroundings changed from the electronics department to a vast, grey space.

"It's pretty spacious in here," he commented, unsure if the other two could hear him.

"What do you mean 'spacious'?" Yosuke exclaimed. It came through a bit muffled, but he could still make out what he was saying. "Holy crap, this is too much for my bladder."

"What the—are you going to pee your pants?"

"I've been holding it in all day and haven't had a chance to go yet!" was Yosuke's strained cry. "Oh, shit! Customers!"

"What are we going to do? We've got a guy half stuck in a TV here!"

Yu was about to pull out the TV and end their panic until he felt something push against backside. The force pushed the rest of him into the TV and tumbling into the space. A dizzying array of colours flashed all around him until his descent was brought to an abrupt and painful stop by something hard. He heard the sound of two more bodies colliding with the ground next to him.

He had no idea how far they had fallen, but the impact, while painful, had left him more winded than seriously hurt. The surface they had landed on felt cold and smooth, mostly likely metallic. He picked himself off the ground and found he was barely able to see anything. Wherever they were, it was shrouded in fog, and appeared distorted, like he was looking at something through a grainy filter.

Groaning, Chie and Yosuke got to their feet.

"You two okay?" he asked.

Yosuke rubbed his tailbone. "I think my butt's cracked now."

"Of course it is!" Chie snapped, stretching out her back. "Where the hell are we?"

Squinting through the fog, Yu could see a metal frame covering the area, wrapped in wires. Hanging from the frame were numerous spotlights that shone down on the platform they were standing on. On the floor was a circular pattern, covered with the outlines of human forms that looked disturbingly similar to a forensic chalk outline. Each side of the platform lead off to a steel walkway that were suspended over a foggy chasm.

"It almost looks like a TV studio," said Yosuke, craning his head around.

"Inaba doesn't have a place like this, does it?" Chie asked, although the answer was already clear: everyone would know if a place this weird existed. "What do we do now?"

Chie looked to him for answers, but truthfully he didn't know. Their options were limited to either looking for an exit or staying where they were; explore this entirely new, strange and potentially dangerous space or sit tight and see if anyone else drops by.

"We should look for an exit."

"Can't we go out the way we came in?" asked Yosuke. He looked up to see nothing but space. "Oh, guess not. Crap, now what?"

"We need to get outta here. Something about this place is really freaking me out," said Chie, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Okay, but how?"

"I don't know! But there has to be an exit somewhere, right?" Chie grew more panicked. "Right?"

Yosuke took a deep breath. "Let's calm down and think about this." He pointed to one of the steel walkways. "Maybe we should try looking over there."

Between the fog and the world's size, the walkway looked like it stretched out into the distance for infinity. Chie looked nervous.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Yosuke rounded on her. "What else can we do? It's better than staying here waiting for something to happen."

"Still…"

Yu felt he should step in before another argument broke out. "I don't think we'll accomplish much by staying," he said. Chie went to protest. "But we shouldn't go too far. If we don't find anything we should return here."

"…okay," she said reluctantly, "but if we get lost, it's totally you guys' fault, okay?"

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure we're already lost, but whatever. Let's get going."

They set off down the walkway, the sound of their school shoes clanking against the metal echoing in the chasm below. There was nothing but fog all around them, and they could barely see the walkway in front of them. Their pace was slow. Yu walked alongside Yosuke, while Chie lagged behind them, casting fretful glances all around her.

Eventually, they reached an intersection. To the left, the walkway stretched further into the distance with no end in the sight. To the right, there appeared to a building not far from where they were standing.

Yosuke glanced at Yu. "Should we check it out?"

He nodded. An actual landmark was far more appealing than more walking into the unknown.

"That place better have an exit," Chie muttered.

When they reached the building, the metal walkway gave way to a concrete path. They followed it up a flight of stairs until they found themselves on a balcony. Off in the distance, Yu could see the outlines of other buildings, and a sky of jagged red and black streaks that seemed to fade into one another.

"Where the hell are we?" Yosuke stepped closer to the barrier. "Damn, it's too foggy to see anything."

With nowhere else to go, they continued down the path until they came across an open door. They walked through it, and found they were in a bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, with a western-style bed in one corner, underneath a shelf indented into the wall. Against the opposite wall was a simple dresser with a mirror. The wall in-between consisted mainly of square-panelled windows covered by a thin pair of aqua-blue curtains. It was dark, save the light that filtered in through the window, casting a slanted pattern on the floor.

The room would have been unremarkable had it not been for the walls being covered with pictures of a woman in a red kimono with the face cut out, and the splattering of red – Yu sincerely hoped it was paint and not something else. Then, there was the most notable feature of the room.

A red scarf, tied into a noose, dangling idly from the ceiling over a single sitting chair.

"Dude, that kind of arrangement is never good," Yosuke said, a quiver in his voice. He suddenly grasped his crotch. "Shit, I can't hold it any longer. My bladder's going to explode!"

He dashed off towards a wall and unzipped his fly. Chie watched him in disbelief.

"You've gotta be kiddin—you're going here?"

"Turn around! I can't go if everyone's watching." He groaned in frustration and zipped up his fly. "I can't do it. It's your fault if my bladder bursts."

"Like I care," Chie spat. She took notice of one of the posters. "What's with these? Somebody must really hate this person."

Yu thought the posters looked vaguely familiar, but couldn't identify who the person was. Whoever she was, she appeared the target of someone's obsession.

Then there was the chair and noose – a make-shift gallows. Someone had intended to kill themselves. Or maybe they were going to kill someone else. In either case, there seemed to be a clear connection between the set-up and the posters.

He really, really hoped they didn't find a corpse somewhere in the room.

A chill went down his spine. Suddenly, the air in the room felt oppressive, as if it was wrong for them just to be standing in it. His body felt heavy, and a nausea began to settle in his gut.

"Guys, we need to leave right now," said Chie, her face looking pale. Yu agreed. The longer they remained, the more wrong it seemed.

"I feel like I've seen this poster somewhere," Yosuke said, studying one of the tampered posters. Chie lashed out and grabbed him by the elbow, before hauling him towards the door.

"Who cares? Let's just get out of here!"

Yosuke wrenched his arm free. "I get it already!"

They retraced their steps out of the room and across the balcony, this time with Chie leading the way. She kept a brisk pace, even as they stepped onto the metal walkway. Soon enough, they were back at the platform, literally and figuratively back on square one.

Yosuke rubbed his hands over his face. "Anyone else starting to feel really sick?"

"Yeah, my head is really starting to hurt," Chie said. "Maybe it's this fog."

To Yu, it looked like the fog had gotten even thicker since they had left. He thought he could feel it wrap around his skin, like his limbs had been caught in an icy grasp.

"Whatever it is, it's really messing with me," said Yosuke, getting down on his haunches.

Chie suddenly pointed to the other side of the platform. "Something's over there…"

Yu and Yosuke looked over, and saw as a shadowy figure approached them slowly through the fog. They waited several tense seconds as the figure emerged, and stood before them, illuminated in the spotlight.

It was squat, with short, stubby legs that looked incapable of supporting the thing's weight. The body was wide and red, and gave way to a dome shaped head with a white face and a pair of large, round black eyes. Atop it's head were a small blue pair of ears.

Yu blinked. He hadn't expected to come across a walking bear suit.

"What is this thing?" Chie said, more perplexed than frightened. Yosuke was at a loss for words.

"That's what I wanna know!" the bear said. Chie and Yosuke jumped in surprise. "Who are you guys?"

"It can talk… what are you? Y-you wanna fight?"

Chie slipped into a fighting stance, and looked about ready to leap at the thing at any moment. The bear recoiled at the sight and curled into itself.

"Don't yell at me like that," it whimpered.

"I don't think it means any harm," Yu said to Chie. She reluctantly relaxed her stance. Then, to the bear, he asked, "What is this place?"

The bear glanced up at him. "This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name," it said. Giving Chie a weary look, it stood upright. "It's where I live."

"Things actually live here?" said Yosuke.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

This only confused Yosuke more. "What are you talking about?"

"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they do so!"

Chie made a frustrated noise and clenched her fists. "You're not making sense! What are you, where are we, and what the hell is going on here?"

The bear slipped behind Yu's legs and cowered. "I already told you, I don't know! You guys should just hurry up and leave!"

It was Yosuke's turn to become frustrated. "We would if we knew how, dammit!"

"I'll let you out," the bear said.

"What?"

"I'm saying, I'll let you out! Like this!" The bear came out from behind Yu's legs and clapped its gloved hands together twice. Out of thin air, in the middle of the platform, appeared three TVs stacked atop one another. Before a comment could be made, the bear started pushing Yu and the others towards them. "Now go on, get outta here!"

With another push, the three were sent careening into the TV stack. The world changed again, and the next thing they were knew, they were sprawled out on the cold, tiled floors of Junes' electronics department.

" _Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side-dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight?"_

The announcement greeted them. The three stood up to see an empty floor.

"We're back," Chie said numbly. "We actually made it."

"Holy crap it's late," said Yosuke, looking at his phone. Yu checked his own phone. A long time had passed since they arrived at Junes. "And holy crap, I now know where I saw that poster before."

Yosuke pointed to a life-sized cardboard cut-out standing next to a TV. It was a woman in a red kimono, with her dark hair tied into a neat bun, and a face that had been appearing frequently on the news lately.

Yu recognised her right away: Misuzu Hiiragi, enka singer, and husband of politician Taro Namatame, who was in an affair with recently murdered announce Mayumi Yamano.

The three reached the same conclusion. The room, the posters, the chair and noose…

He felt another chill. The implications were unsettling.

* * *

Yu dragged his heavy body through the rain and back home, where he found Dojima and Nanako sitting at the table eating instant ramen. The smell should have been tantalising but he found he had no appetite. Still, he sat down in what was becoming his spot at the table.

"Welcome back," Dojima said. He eyed him. "Where've you been?"

"Junes," said Yu. "With a couple of classmates."

"I see." Dojima slurped some noodles. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Well, I doubt you'd know, but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"

Saki Konishi. He met her yesterday. Yosuke liked her. Other than that, he hadn't heard anything, only a handful students mentioning she wasn't at school.

He said as much. Dojima looked thoughtful. "Here's the thing: we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't turned up yet." He sighed, and set down his chopsticks. "Work just keeps piling up…"

Yu wished he could be surprised, but after a murder and the strange, disturbing room he found inside the TV (itself a fact he was finding difficult to process), he felt numb to it. Yosuke, he imagined, would be far more concerned, but he had no means of contacting him.

The timing of her disappearance was suspicious. He hoped she turned up, safe and sound.

In the background, the news once again covered the death of Mayumi Yamano.

" _Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police have found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn. She had apparently been staying there alone"_

A commentator on the case took up the conversation.

" _Oh yes, the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumoured she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!"_

Yukiko, he recalled, had been exceedingly busy the last couple of days. She appeared tired and distant. Maybe it had something to do with Yamano's stay at the inn before her death; he imagined a good number of policeman and reporters must have visited since the body was found.

" _And now, the weather. The rain is set to subside. From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area…"_

More fog. He felt that chill again. The feeling of the fog against his skin had never truly left since he had left the TV. He had only been in Inaba three days, but he was already getting tired of the sight of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter is a long one, as we finally get to some action. Things are going to speed up from here.**

 **As always, reviews/questions/follows/favourites are always welcome.**


	4. CH3: Awakening

**Chapter Three**

 _ **Awakening**_

It was raining again on the 15th.

That afternoon, the students of Yasogami were asked to gather in the gym for an announcement. Rumour was rife about its nature. Once more, people seemed eager to discuss the murder, the Midnight Channel, and the increase in police activity around the town, as if they were equivalent to a celebrity arriving in town. As long as they were on the outside looking in, what was happening didn't matter as much as the fact that it _was_ happening.

"Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch," said Chie, tapping at her phone. Once again, Yukiko had seemed worn out during the morning, and had excused herself during the lunch break. Chie waited for a message to appear, and then sighed and snapped her phone shut. "I wonder why they're holding an assembly all of a sudden."

Yu thought of several possibilities, many of which centred around recent events, and one he hoped wouldn't come to fruition. To his right, Yosuke, with his arms crossed, stared hard at the ground and tapped his foot impatiently. He had been that way all morning – distracted, without his usual carefree smile.

A teacher took to the podium. Mrs. Sofue, a middle-aged woman who taught ancient history, and wore an old Egyptian headdress and carried a golden sceptre. By all accounts, she should have been the weirdest thing Yu saw in Inaba.

"Everyone, please settle down. The assembly is about to begin."

As the students gradually quieted, Mrs. Sofue made way for the school principal, an elderly man with thinning white hair and a beard long enough to tuck into his belt.

"I regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you," he spoke slowly and deliberately. A hush came over the gym. "One of our third year students, Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3, has passed away."

The students fell into a stunned silence. Time seemed to stop in the gym. A sharp intake of breath came from Yosuke beside him.

The principal continued on in a level voice. "Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning. The reasons for her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts."

The room suddenly jerked back into life. Conversation resumed, as students expressed their sadness, disbelief, fear and theories as to how the death occurred. Yosuke remained looking at the floor, fingers clenching the fabric of his jacket tightly.

The assembly went on, though by this point any attempt to regain calm was futile. The students were dismissed. Yosuke didn't move. Yu and Chie remained with him as the gym emptied, until it was just the three of them.

Finally, Yosuke lifted his head.

"Did either of you watch the Midnight Channel last night?" Chie and Yu shook their heads. After everything that happened the previous day, Yu had been in bed and dead to the world well before midnight. "I think… I think I saw Saki-senpai on it."

"Are you serious?"

"Something was bothering me, so I checked it again. The girl I saw, she looked exactly like her," he swallowed, "she was… she was writhing in pain. And then she disappeared from the screen."

Chie gulped. "What does this mean?"

Saki Konishi was reported missing last night. She appeared on the Midnight Channel on the same night. The next morning, she was found dead, rumoured to be hanging from a telephone pole.

The timing could be coincidental. However, Yu recalled rumours of people seeing Yamano on the Midnight Channel as well. People thought she was their soulmate. Not long after, she was also found dead, hanging from an antenna.

When the two incidents were placed side by side, the connection seemed obvious.

"It sounds like," said Yu, "that Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi appeared on the Midnight Channel before they died."

"I was thinking the same thing," said Yosuke. "I mean, it can't just be a coincidence, can it?"

Chie glanced at the pair them, eyes wide. "Whoa, hold up a second. Are you saying that people who appear on that freaky TV show will die? That sounds…"

Yosuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, but hear me out. Remember that room we found in the TV yesterday? With all those posters on the walls?"

Chie scrunched up her face. "I wish I didn't."

"I think that room might be connected to Yamano's death. I mean, those were posters of that enka singer. Isn't that suspicious?"

"Well, sure. But what does that have to do with Saki-san?"

"I'm getting to that." Yosuke took a glance around the gym to confirm they were alone. Even then, his tone was hushed. "That bear thing said someone had been throwing people into that world. What if those people were Yamano and Saki-senpai?"

Chie looked unconvinced. Yu thought Yosuke may have been clutching at straws somewhat, but the idea wasn't totally farfetched. It seemed far too coincidental that they would find a room connected to Yamano in that world. And with nothing else really making sense, they couldn't rule out any theory.

"If there was a room connected with Yamano, then there could be something related to Saki in that world, too," said Yu. He met Yosuke's surprised look. "Is that what you're thinking?"

"Yeah, that's it exactly." Yosuke relaxed slightly. "I thought I was the only one."

"Even if that were true," said Chie, "it's not like we can prove it. Nobody would believe us about that world. We'd have to look around ourselves." Yosuke remained silent. "Oh, don't tell me…"

"I need to find out for myself," he said. "You said it yourself: nobody would believe us. We're the only ones who can do it."

"But…"

Yosuke sighed, and bowed his head. "If I'm completely off-base about this, then fine, but I need to why Saki-senpai had to die like this." He glanced at Yu. "Sorry, but you're the only one I can ask for help. I'll be waiting for you at Junes."

Yosuke turned and walked out of the gym, hands stuffed in his pockets, and shoulders slumped.

"I understand how he feels, but that world…" Chie shivered. "We can't be sure we'll get out again."

Chie's concerns were valid. They were fortunate to escape the first time by encountering that bear. There was no guarantee they'd meet it again, or if they wouldn't encounter anything dangerous. Nevermind that just being in that world made them all feel very ill. He understood why Yosuke wanted to go back in, but the risks were great.

And yet, there was something significant about that world he found difficult to ignore. If it didn't have a place in the current mystery, then itself was one big mystery, and one that only a select few people had access to.

He felt terrible for admitting it, given the circumstances, but he couldn't deny he was curious.

In any case, he had a feeling Yosuke would go into that world with or without him, and decided to follow him to Junes. He would decide whether to join him or not on the way there.

* * *

Yosuke, as it turned out, wasn't about to go in unprepared. Yu and Chie found him standing in front of the same TV they entered from the day before, with several feet of rope coiled around his arm, the end of which was tied around his waist, and armed with a golf club.

He grinned at Yu. "You actually came."

"Yeah, came to stop you." Chie placed both hands on her hips. "It's way too dangerous to go back in there."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Yosuke held out the rope. "I'll go in with this tied around me, and someone can stay here and hold onto it. And we can use this," he held up the golf club, "to protect ourselves."

"This is stupid. Narukami, say something, will you?"

Chie was looking for him to back her up and talk Yosuke out of his crazy idea, but he had already made up his mind.

"…you don't have to come with us."

She was flabbergasted. "Wha—not you too!"

"C'mon, Chie, this isn't something we can just ignore." Yosuke tossed the coiled rope at her. "Here, I'm leaving you in charge of this."

She fumbled the catch, protestations dying in her throat. Yosuke, golf club in hand, walked up to the TV and stepped through the screen. Yu took a final look at Chie and followed him.

Once more, there was a disorienting shift in the surroundings. And once more, the landing was not soft.

They had ended up in the same place as last time – the same platform, with the overhanging lights and four metal walkways, and that same damn fog making it impossible to see further than a few metres. The only thing different was that there was a bear – or something wearing a bear suit – waiting there to greet them.

"Why'd you guys come back?" it demanded. It narrowed its eyes at them, though the overblown size of its eyes lessened the effect. "I get it. You must be the ones behind all this!"

"What was that?" exclaimed Yosuke, brandishing the golf club. Startled, the bear leapt back, almost tumbling onto its backside.

"Someone's been throwing people in here lately, and the world is getting more and more messed up!" it explained hurriedly. "This is the second time you guys have come here, and I don't think anyone forced you in, so that makes you the most suspicious!" It growled. "You're the ones who have been throwing people in here!"

Yosuke gave an exasperated sigh and rubbed one of his temples. Yu thought he was remarkably calm, given the circumstances.

"We didn't even know this place existed until yesterday, so how could we be throwing people in?"

"Well if you didn't do it, why'd you come back? You can't even get out! I had to help you last time!"

"Whatever, we won't need your help this time. We have a lifeline."

Yosuke held up the rope. Problem was, it had snapped.

"…guess that's us dead then."

"Dude, don't even joke about that!" He untied the rope from his waist and dangled it pitifully in front of his face. "Man, I knew I shouldn't have gone for the cheap stuff."

Yu had a comment for that too, something along the lines of their lives not being worth much, but opted to leave a hysterical Yosuke alone and explain the situation to the bear.

"We're here to investigate something. We think a couple of recent deaths in our world are connected to this world somehow."

"I'm the one who wants to investigate!" the bear snapped. "I've lived here a long time, but it's never been noisy like this until now. And it just so happens that this all started around the time you both showed up here!"

Yosuke discarded the rope and rounded on the bear. "For crying out loud, we didn't do anything!"

"Prove it!"

Clearly, their word wasn't going to be enough. Yosuke was starting to tick, while Yu thought of a way to ease the bear's suspicions before a fight could break out. They, after all, needed its help in returning to the other world.

"The first time was an accident," he said. "This is the only time we've come here intentionally."

Yosuke interjected before the bear could argue. "Listen, people have died in our world. Every time the fog appears, a corpse shows up with it. We really think it has something to do with this world, so if you know something, tell us!"

"I know that if its foggy on your side, the fog lifts here." It suddenly flinched. "The Shadows get really violent when that happens. It's really dangerous."

Yosuke shot Yu a confused look. Yu could only shrug in response. The activity of the fog was interesting but meant little to them, and he had no idea what the bear was referring to when he said Shadows. Did he mean an actual shadow? Or was it something more sinister than that?

"We don't get it," said Yosuke. "What do you mean, Shadows get violent?"

"You know, violent. They act really aggressive and start attacking," the bear said. "That's why this world isn't safe for people like you."

"Okay, so what the hell do you mean by 'Shadow'?" Yosuke looked around the area. "For that matter, what is this place? Some kind of studio?" His eyes widened. "Don't tell me that freaky show is being filmed here…"

"Weird show? Filmed? What do you mean?"

"I'm asking if someone has been filming the people that get thrown in here."

The bear tilted its head to one side. "I don't get it. The world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here."

Yu frowned. "Always been like this?"

"I told you, only me and Shadows are here!"

Yosuke groaned loudly and rubbed both hands over his face. "We don't know what these Shadow things are! We don't even know what you are! You're the most suspicious thing here!" He fixed the bear with a glare, and took a menacing step towards it. "Maybe you're the culprit, hiding in some stupid costume. It's about time you showed your face."

He lunged forward and grasped both sides of the bear's head. Its arms flailed about as he gave a hard tug and removed the head from the body. What remained was the body standing up right, with nothing inside.

"I-it's empty…" Yosuke squeaked. He practically threw the head back onto the body. "What the hell are you?"

Yu only blinked. It might have been the weirdest thing he had seen so far.

"I'm not the culprit," the thing said, a little pathetically. "I just live here."

Yosuke took a moment to calm himself and, Yu thought, probably think of what to do next now that the blame game hadn't amounted to anything. The conversation had gone in circles – all this talk about the fog and Shadows and not enough explanations. They needed to refocus their investigation.

"I don't think you're the culprit," said Yu, looking at the bear. "But we're not the culprits, either. Trust us."

The bear stared back at him silently for a few moments, then nodded. "Okay, I'll believe you. But I want you find the real culprit behind all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else I won't let you outta here."

Well, that was an effective threat. Yu didn't want to make a promise they wouldn't be able to keep, but he didn't want to be stuck in this world, either.

"I guess we don't have a choice."

Yosuke heaved a huge sigh. "Damn thing's holding a gun to our heads."

"Th-thank you!" the bear started sniffling, "This can't keep going on. My home here will be a complete mess, and then I… I.." It looked at the two of them with big, watery eyes. "You're the only ones I can ask."

"Alright, we get it!" Yosuke grumbled. "This thing's driving me nuts…"

"We might as well introduce ourselves," said Yu. "I'm Yu Narukami."

"Yosuke Hanamura. You got a name?"

The bear smiled. "Teddie."

"…of course it is." Yosuke looked about ready to tear his hair out. "Okay, so how we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

If Teddie had shoulders, he would have shrugged. "I dunno… but I do know where the last person came in."

"The last person… could it be Saki-senpai?"

"I dunno the name. But if I take you to where they were, you might find some clues."

Finally, they were getting somewhere. They had come back to the world to find any trace of Saki Konishi, as they had found traces of Mayumi Yamano. If she had indeed been thrown into the world, then there was a decent chance that something would turn up at the place Teddie mentioned.

"Take us there," Yu said.

"Okay, but first you should put these on."

From seemingly out of nowhere, Teddie produced two pairs of glasses in his large hands. He shoved them into their hands – Yu's pair were grey, with multi-coloured stripes near the hinges. He slipped them on, and found that his surroundings become considerably clearer, almost like the fog didn't even exist.

Yosuke, in his own pair of orange glasses, was impressed. "The difference is like night and day."

"I've been here a long time, so you can count on me," Teddie said. "Oh, but I can't fight. You guys will have to defend yourselves."

"What are we defending ourselves against?" Yosuke asked slowly.

Teddie answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The Shadows."

* * *

Teddie guided them across one of the metal walkways until, much like during their first visit, the metal turned into concrete. This new area was a road leading up a hill, with a series of old, run-down shops lining either side. It was dark and difficult to see, in stark contrast to the red and black sky shining above their heads like neon lights.

"This place looks just like the shopping district," commented Yosuke. "What's going on here?"

Yu hadn't the chance to visit Inaba's famous shopping district since he had arrived in town, and so didn't recognise any of the shops. However, he could see, at the bottom of the slope, the roof of the gas station he had stopped by when he first arrived. Even in the darkness, it looked a perfect replica.

"Some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting so tangled, I dunno what to do…" Teddie said, standing a good couple of feet behind them.

"Why are you standing so far from us?" Yosuke narrowed his eyes. "You better not be thinking of high-tailing it if we're attacked by something!"

"Of course not! I just don't wanna stand too close in case I get in your way."

Teddie was convinced that they would be attacked by something, which disturbed Yosuke to no end. Even though they had come armed with a golf club, it was more for comfort than for actual use. Neither of them seriously anticipated encountering anything dangerous while they were in this world.

Still, Yu thought it was strange. If Teddie couldn't defend himself, how had he survived long in a supposedly dangerous world?

Yosuke grunted, and surveyed the area. "The really went all out on this. But out of all the places in town, why replicate this one?"

"How should I know? This is reality for the one who's here."

"As usual, nothing you say makes any sense."

They walked up the path, and passed what looked like a Chinese restaurant and an old shrine, until they were at the top of the hill. None of the buildings along the way had been open, except for one opposite a car park. The double iron doors were wide open. Inside, Yu could just about make out the scattered remains of glass bottles and fallen silver kegs. Above the door was a sign that read "Konishi Liquors".

"This is the liquor store that Senpai's parents run," said Yosuke. "Does this mean, she disappeared here? What could've happened?"

They could investigate if they went inside the shop, but Yosuke hesitated. Yu wondered if he was worried about what they would find inside; if they would find something disturbing or gruesome, like they had in that hotel room. Or perhaps they would find nothing at all, despite coming all this way, and leave the world no closer to the truth than they were when they arrived.

Suddenly, Teddie gave a frightened yelp. "They're here."

The air around them grew colder. The space in the doorway seemed to twist and bend and blacken until there was a thick ooze occupying it. Yu watched with mounting horror as the ooze bubbled and shifted and spat out a blue mask of a screaming face. The ooze then split into two, and the two shapes morphed into a sphere of white and black stripes with a gaping maw of sharp teeth and a hideously thick and long tongue dripping with saliva.

"What the hell are these things?" screamed Yosuke as he backed away.

"They're Shadows! And they're going to attack!"

Teddie cowered behind Yu's legs. Yu didn't know what to do. His brain was telling him to escape, to protect himself, but his body wasn't responding. He was frozen. Even as the things were moving closer, floating ominously in mid-air, he could not move.

A voice spoke in his head.

 _I am thou. Thou art I._

It was that voice. His head throbbed. His heart pounded in his chest. He could feel something build inside himself, an increasing pressure desperately seeking escape.

 _Thou has the power._

The power. He didn't know what power. But he remembered. The back of a limousine, with blue, padded seats. A squat, long-nosed man, with round eyes. A fortune about mystery and catastrophe, foreshadowing an intriguing destiny. A contract.

 _The time has come. Speak._

The word was on the tip of his tongue.

" _Persona."_

The pressure released. There was an explosion of blue light, and Yu felt an incredible surge of energy wash over him. A dark figure loomed in front of him. It was over ten feet tall, with a black coat billowing behind it. Its face was covered with a silver mask. In its hands was a naginata, taller than the figure itself, with a blade as thick and wide as a claymore's.

Yu had no idea where it had come from, but he felt a connection to it, as if it had always been there by his side. Whatever fear he felt had evaporated, replaced by adrenaline and the feeling he could do anything at that moment.

The two Shadows completely lost interest in Yosuke and Teddie and sped through the air towards the coated figure. Yu wasn't entirely aware of what he was doing, but with a thought, the figure burst into life and, singlehandedly, sliced through the Shadows with his naginata. There was a split second where time stopped, and then the two Shadows split apart, neatly bisected, and disintegrated into nothingness.

The figure then vanished, taking the rush with it. Though Yu couldn't see it anymore, he could feel its presence. It had a name: Izanagi.

"What was- you just—how…" Yosuke shook his head, face alight with wonder. "Whoa."

"That was amazing, Sensei!" Teddie bounced out from behind his leg and looked up with big, shining eyes. "I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power. No wonder the Shadows were scared of you!"

"Hang on. You call him sensei but don't show me any respect?"

"That's because you didn't do anything, Yosuke!"

"Neither did you!" Yosuke stopped glaring at Teddie to look at Yu. "How did you do that, anyway? You said something like 'Persona'."

How _did_ he do that? It just felt like the right thing to do. He didn't even think about it, and the word 'Persona' had never entered his mind until then.

All he could do in the end was shrug his shoulders. "There was this voice in my head, and then I just… did it."

Yosuke eyed him strangely. "Hearing voices, huh. You mentioned that before." He shook his head and smiled. "Well, whatever. Those monsters shouldn't be a problem now. This is probably better off with you, too."

Yosuke handed him the golf club. He took it, though he didn't think it'd be any good, not least because it wasn't quite as lethal as the gigantic blade on a stick Izanagi waved about like it was a butter knife.

The three stepped through the shop doorway. The interior was cluttered with boxes, baskets and silver kegs piled precariously atop one another until the stack almost touched the ceiling. A single white light shone upon the counter.

 _I wish Junes would go under. It's all because of that store._

 _Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there. How could she, with her family's business struggling like it is? I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes._

 _That poor father… having his own child work for the enemy._

Yu thought he was hearing voices again, but Yosuke's and Teddie's reactions suggested that they heard them, too. It sounded like two housewives gossiping on a street corner, only the voices seemed to come from all around them.

"Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is reality for those who are here, right?" Yosuke gulped, and his voice shook a little. "Does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she walked in here?"

"I only know what happens over here."

Yosuke didn't look satisfied with that answer, but didn't press the issue. Teddie didn't even know who Saki was, let alone anything about her circumstances.

The voices returned. This time, it was a man's voice, deep and angry, that bellowed around the store.

 _Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?_

 _You know what the neighbours say about you, right? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you need to work THERE of all places._

The atmosphere in the store changed after those words from eerie to uncomfortable, like they were listening in on a family argument they really shouldn't have heard, and entering into a space they didn't belong in.

Yosuke stumbled towards the counter and leant against it. "I-I can't believe this. She seemed like she had fun at work. She never told me anything like this." He whipped around to face Yu and Teddie. "You're telling me this is how Senpai really saw things?"

 _I never had the chance to say it…_

Saki Konishi's melancholy voice rang out.

 _I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…_

There was a tense moment of silence. Yosuke was on edge, gripping the counter hard and staring hard at the ceiling.

The voice turned malicious.

… _that he was a real pain in the ass._

Yosuke hunched over like he had just been punched in the gut.

 _I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son. That's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip._

 _Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business was ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbours talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear._

"It's a lie. Senpai's not like that. She _can't_ be."

Something about the situation seemed odd to Yu. This was Saki's reality - her deepest, darkest thoughts about her life – but why was it being revealed to them? Did it linger there, for anyone to here? Or was there a purpose to it? The whole scenario seemed designed to target Yosuke.

Yet another new voice penetrated the room.

"I'm so sad. I feel so sorry for myself. Boohoo." The voice was full of mocking, and sounded uncannily similar to Yosuke's. Only, Yu was facing Yosuke, and knew he hadn't said anything. "Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything is a pain in the ass."

From out the shadows of the store stepped Yosuke – or an identical copy of him. Same height, same clothes and hair, same pair of headphones around his neck, same slightly slouched posture and folded arms. But this Yosuke had an ethereal blue glow surrounding him, and a pair of sinister golden eyes to match his wide, manic grin.

Yosuke, the real one, was stunned by its appearance.

"Who are you? I wouldn't think that," he choked out.

The other Yosuke laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes, too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"

Yosuke shook his head furiously, and backed up against the counter. "That's not true."

The other him closed the distance between them, until they were in an arm's length of each other.

"You came to this world because you thought it'd be a good time. What else is there to do out in this shithole?" It spread its arms out wide. "A world inside a TV – what could be more exciting? You didn't really have another reason to come here, did you?"

"I came here for Saki-senpai. I did it for her."

The other Yosuke laughed again.

"Now _that's_ bullshit. You just wanted an excuse to be the hero. You come snooping in here, solve the big mystery and come out looking like a big shot." It leant in closer. "Maybe then people will start taking you seriously and you wouldn't be so alone. Then you could stop pretending to be so carefree and happy-go-lucky."

"You're wrong. Everything is wrong," snapped Yosuke, ducking away from his doppelganger. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm you. Your shadow. And there's nothing I don't know about you."

Yosuke was panting, struggling to keep a lid on his emotions. "You can't be me," he muttered. Then, catching sight of the maddening smirk on the thing's face – his face – he exploded. "You're not me, you son of a bitch!"

The other him gave a low chuckle. "You know what? You're right. You're definitely not me." The blue glow surrounding it intensified, and its grin became even wider and crazed. "I'll kill you, and there'll only be me left!"

The glow blackened, and grew in size. That was when the other Yosuke started changing. It expanded and bulged until it formed a monstrous shape. Its lower half was that of a frog which green khaki design, only it had no face, and its eyes stemmed out the middle of its abdomen. The top half was vaguely humanoid; a black body that sprouted out of the frog, with long, stretchy arms and comically oversize hands covered by yellow gloves. Around its neck was a long, red scarf.

Yosuke, pale and sweating, took a single look at the thing and fainted. Yu caught him before he hit the floor. Teddie screamed and dived behind the counter. Yu was torn, knowing he had to protect himself, but also knowing he couldn't leave Yosuke alone. His mind worked furiously to find an escape route.

"I am a shadow… the true self," Yosuke's voice came out of the beast. "I'll crush everything that bores me. Starting with you!"

The beast rose both its arms and slammed them down on the ground. Yu, with Yosuke in his arms, flung himself to the side to narrowly avoid being crushed. He made a dash for the shop exit. He heard a roar. A fierce burst of wind crashed into his back and blew him through the air like he had been caught in an explosion. He landed on the concrete road, and felt the shoulder of uniform jacket tear, and his grip on Yosuke loosen. The golf club lay forgotten to the side.

There was no time for rest. The front of wall of Konishi Liquors suddenly exploded in a shower of dust and brick. Yu hauled himself and Yosuke to their feet and ran. The beast appeared where the wall used to be and, with a mighty leap, soared over their hands and landed in the car park area.

"You have to fight it, Sensei!" Teddie yelled from within the shop. "Use your power!"

Yu assessed his options: stay and fight, or try to escape. With Yosuke out and Teddie powerless, he was the only he could do anything.

"Look after Yosuke," he said, gently dropping his body off in the store. He turned and faced the beast, and tried to steady his nerves. He had the power to fight. He just had to bring it out again.

"Izanagi!"

The coated warrior materialised above him once more, brandishing its naginata. With a thought, Yu sent it zooming towards the Shadow.

"Too easy," the Shadow mocked, and leapt away from Izanagi. It landed on the roof of a building. Izanagi chased after it, but it simply hopped across to the next building across the road, and then to the next, and so on. Izanagi couldn't even get close it.

Yu grit his teeth. He had to stop its movements somehow, but doing so would be near impossible in such a wide open space.

"Try a lightning attack, Sensei!" said Teddie. "I think your Persona can use them! I can sense it!"

He had no idea what sort of attack it would be, so he just thought 'lightning'. Izanagi responded by raising a hand up to the sky. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the air crackled overhead, and a bolt of blue electricity dropped down right where the Shadow was standing.

The Shadow cried out in pain as it was zapped and, steaming, tumbled off the top of the building and landed on its side in the middle of the road.

This was their chance.

"Now, Izanagi!" Yu cried. Izanagi sped down the road, naginata primed to strike. The Shadow managed to regain its balance in time to reach out with its long arms and push Izanagi back, the blade inches from piercing its neck. They pushed against each other, locked in a standstill.

Yu had an idea. He dashed and picked up the discard golf club, then charged down the road. He ran around the Shadow and climbed onto its back. He steadied himself and then, with all his strength, swung the club at the back of the Shadow's head. It connected with a dull _thunk_. The strike had no effect, and only served to bend the golf club out of shape and hurt Yu's hands and wrists.

It wasn't his best idea.

The Shadow roared and bucked Yu off. He managed to land on his feet, though he lost his balance and fell into an inconveniently placed dust bin. As he tried to remove himself from it, Izanagi floated over to protect him. The Shadow turned to face them and started laughing.

Then something struck the side of its head.

"Over here, you son of a bitch." All eyes turned to Yosuke, who was standing a few metres away, panting, and holding a monkey wrench in his hand. He cocked his arm back and threw the wrench at the shadow. It hit it right between the eyes, though had no visible effect. "It's me you want, isn't it? Well come get me!"

"I was going to save you until last, but why not? A chase is fun every once in a while."

Yosuke turned tail and sprinted back up the hill. The Shadow gave him a head start before leaping over his head and landing right in front of him. Yosuke fell onto his backside and scrambled away. He threw a meaningful look at Yu over his shoulder.

Yu knew what he had to do. First, he had Izanagi cast lightning again on the Shadow. Distracted, it was unable to dodge the blow. Izanagi followed this up by charging and lashing out with its naginata. The blade pierced its body, and just like that, the battle was over.

The Shadow disintegrated, and all that was left was the other Yosuke, standing there with a blank look on his face. Izanagi also vanished, and Yu extricated himself from the bin. His body ached and felt, and his head hurt. He took a moment to catch his breath, before joining the real Yosuke.

"You okay?" he asked, helping him to his feet. Yosuke nodded numbly, eyes on his Shadow.

"That's not me," he insisted.

Teddie came waddling over from his haven in the shop. "That thing came from you, Yosuke. You have to admit it, or it'll go berserk again."

Yosuke was reluctant. Yu put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think everyone has a side like that," he said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

People had many layers. Saki Konishi seemed happy and untroubled at work, but bore resentment at her family, her neighbourhood, Junes and Yosuke for making her life difficult. Yosuke was friendly and carefree and had good intentions, but feared isolation and boredom. It was all a part of their identity, even if they didn't like it.

Even Yu was like that.

Yosuke sighed. "Dammit, facing yourself hurts." He looked his Shadow right in the eyes. "I knew you weren't lying, but I was so ashamed to admit it. But when you get down it, you're me, and I'm you. We're the same person."

His Shadow smiled, a content one instead of a malicious one, and faded away. A new figure appeared in its place – as tall as Izanagi, wearing a white jumpsuit and a red scarf, and holding golden shuriken in each of its hands. That, too, faded away, seemingly disappearing into Yosuke.

Yu had a feeling, that Yosuke had just obtained the same power he had.

"'He was such a pain in the ass', huh." Yosuke chucked, though it sounded hollow. "What a way to find out."

Yu didn't know what to tell him, and decided Yosuke would be fine in time. Instead, he addressed Teddie about something that was bothering him.

"Teddie," he said, "could Saki have been attacked by her other self here, like Yosuke just was?"

"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. When the fog clear, they all go berserk, and you saw what happens next. A strong willed Shadows draws other Shadows to it, and then…"

"…it kills the host," Yu finished. Things were beginning to make sense now. "I think we're done here now. We should head back."

Yosuke stared forlornly at the remains of Konishi Liquors before agreeing.

* * *

Teddie lead them back to the studio. Yu was about to keel over now that the adrenaline from the fighting had left him. Yosuke wasn't looking much better.

"Hey, Teddie," said Yosuke. "You said that this place is reality for people who enter, right?"

"I did say that."

"So that shopping district, and that weird room… did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality?" He scratched the top his head. "What I'm trying to ask is: did those places form because of the people who entered this world?"

"I don't know. It's never happened before. But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them."

To be killed by monsters fuelled from your own dark side sounded a grisly way to go to Yu. He wondered if the person who had thrown people in knew if that was the fate that would befall them.

"So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I would have ended up like Yamano and Saki-senpai?"

Teddie nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You were lucky Sensei and me were here with you."

Yosuke clenched his fists and cursed. He had been lucky to have had help when his Shadow appeared. Yamano and Saki, on the other hand, had been all alone, and no one could have saved them.

Yet, if there was a bright side to this, it would be that they learned some valuable information.

"If the Shadows only go berserk when the fog lifts," he said, "then it's possible they were safe before that."

It took a moment for the implications to register with Yosuke. "So you're saying that, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they're attacked?"

"Seems that way." Yu paused. "At the very least, we know people don't die the moment they're thrown in. If we know in advance, we can do something about it."

"Does that mean you guys will be coming back here?" asked Teddie.

"We don't want to come back, but if the killer keeps doing things like this then we might have to," said Yosuke. "Why'd you ask?"

Teddie's eyes turned downcast. "It's just, I don't know where I was born or where I came from. I don't know anything about myself. So I thought, maybe if I hung around with you guys, I might work something out."

"We did promise we'd come back so long as the killer is still at large, didn't we?"

"So you'll keep your word?"

"You won't let us out unless we do." Teddie laughed sheepishly. "Anyway, can you show us the way out? I'm beat."

"One exit coming right up!" Teddie clapped his hands and, like last time, a stack of TVs appeared. "Oh, one last thing before you go. When you come back here, make sure you come in at the same place. Otherwise you'll end up somewhere else, and I might not be able to find you, and you'd be doooomed."

"So come in through the TV in Junes. Got it."

Yu followed Yosuke through the TVs. The first thing they when returned to the Junes electronics department was a very tearful and hysterical Chie.

"Y-you guys came back!" she cried, wiping tears away with the sleeve of her jacket. She then threw the rope she had been holding at Yosuke's face. It landed with a satisfying smack. "The nerve of you jerks! You're such morons!" She sniffled. "The rope cut got off… I had no idea what to do. I was so worri—I mean, scared stiff, dammit! I hate you both!"

Her rant over, Chie hurried away from them and out of the store. An uncomfortable silence hung over Yu and Yosuke.

Yosuke rubbed his now sore face. "I think that kinda sorta mighta been our fault."

"It was your idea."

He sighed. "Let's apologise to her tomorrow. I don't have any energy left to do it today."

* * *

It was raining when Yu left Junes. After his exertions in the TV world, the walk through town and across the Samegawa River felt long and arduous. He dragged his weary limbs along the path, barely able to hold up his umbrella. He realised that once he got home, he would have to explain to whoever was waiting for him why he was so tired, and why his uniform was in such a state, and why he smelt like the inside of a dust bin. Nanako wouldn't be much problem. His uncle, on the other hand…

Suddenly, he felt even more exhausted. What on earth would he say? 'I entered into a different world, met a walking talking bear suit, was attacked by two blobs with mouths, pulled a 15-foot blade-on-a-stick wielding man out of my ass and then had a showdown with a mutant frog which I tried beating up with a golf club.' He had little doubt his uncle would haul down the station on suspicion of substance abuse.

There was, of course, another issue. He was sure now that he and Yosuke had stumbled across vital information that would help in solving the case that the police didn't have – the method of killing. More than that, they knew a way of preventing any more deaths. But how could he go about explaining the TV world and Persona to hardened police detectives? He would surely have to demonstrate, and that would mean taking them into that world, where they wouldn't be able to protect themselves.

A sigh escaped through his lips. He didn't want to imagine how awkward dinner would be, with Dojima working tirelessly to solve the case, while his own nephew purposely withheld vital information. He knew he would have to be careful.

As he walked along the path, he noticed a girl in a pink kimono sitting under a wooden gazebo. Her dark hair and melancholic expression were instantly recognisable.

Yukiko's eyes met his. Recently, she had been burdened with her family's inn and looked barely able to keep up. Chie was concerned about her. He thought maybe he should talk with her, see if there was anything he could.

That was, until his head throbbed, painfully reminding him that he had amassed enough problems today and needed to stop thinking for a while. So he looked away and continued his trudge home.

* * *

Nanako was the only home when Yu got back. When she saw him, her little face turned worried. "Are you okay? You look beat up."

Yu brushed her off. "I'm fine. I just…" he thought for a second, "…fell down some stairs. I'll be okay. I'm going to go clean up."

After discarding his torn uniform, bathing and patching up the scratches and bruises he had accumulated, he joined Nanako at the dinner time. As usual, the news was on the TV.

" _At around 7:00 AM, local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area. Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konishi was the one who discovered that body, the police are working under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano."_

"Dad won't be coming home tonight," Nanako said, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

"I'll be here with you," said Yu. He didn't know what comfort it would bring her – he hardly considered himself great company – but he wanted her to know she wasn't totally alone in the house.

Nanako's expression remained glum. "I'll be okay."

The TV report continued.

"… _Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark. Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open air, radium rich hot-springs. After the incident with Mayumi Yamani, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter to fill in. In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school."_

The image changed, showing Yukiko wearing that pink kimono, standing at the inn's entrance. A reporter held a microphone close to her face.

" _We've heard that you're the new manager. Is it true that you're still in high school?"_

Yukiko's expression was neutral. _"Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily…"_

" _Someday, though… that aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors."_

She looked uncomfortable with this line of questioning and struggled to form a coherent answer. The reporter continued along a similar line of questioning, focusing less on the inn and more and more on Yukiko's charms.

"This is boring," Nanano said, and changed the channel.

* * *

It was in his bedroom, with the clock creeping towards midnight, and the rain hammering against the roof and window, that Yu truly reflected on that day's events.

Personas and Shadows. The true self, manifest. The façade people use to cope in the world, and the suppressed subconscious.

Yu was no expert in psychology, but it made sense that everyone had a side of themselves they always hid. He didn't think anyone was exempt from this. Nobody ever truly showed the real them, be it because of fear of rejection or a desire to be accepted in society. He knew it was always easier to go with the flow and be the person people want and expect you to be, and not the person you were supposed to be.

He knew because he was the same.

Yet, he hadn't been forced to face himself in the same way that Yosuke had. Yosuke's Shadow had revealed all – the fear of isolation, the boredom, the desire to be something bigger and more important than he was. He didn't have to face any of that, even though he understood those feelings so well.

The city is a wide expanse of leisure and opportunity. The countryside may be even bigger but at the same time felt much more restrictive. It was a place that had no shortage of time and space but simply had nothing to fill them. Going from one to the other felt like having several paths in life closed off.

You could be a somebody in the city, but everyone was a nobody in the countryside. And being placed there was surely a punishment.

How bad must it be in Inaba, that the murders of two people had the residents excited? How bored were people that they desired their very own disaster? How stifled did Yosuke feel that exploring something as disturbing and freakish as the TV world seemed an exciting pastime?

Yu had only been in Inaba a handful of days, but he could kind of understand. At the same time, he wanted to believe there was more. There had to be more than just arresting boredom and a bleak future.

He didn't want to think about what would become of him if there wasn't.

After the day's events, he felt more inclined to believe in destiny. If mystery and catastrophe were in his future, then there was meaning in him obtaining Izanagi. There was meaning in fighting the Shadows, and in Yosuke confronting his own Shadow and gaining his own Persona. There was meaning in the deaths of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi.

And if that was the case, there had to be meaning in him coming to Inaba; that he hadn't merely been sent there for safekeeping.

He just had to find it.

The clock struck midnight. His TV fizzed into life, and once more, a person appeared on the screen. It was only a silhouette, but it looked female, and seemed to be wearing a kimono.

He had a feeling that the case, and his adventures in that other world, were far from over.


	5. CH4: The Strength of Bonds

**A/N:** As before, I'd like to thank those who put this story on their favourites/alerts, and to thank the two who kindly left a review and pointed out a mistake or two. Those were a pleasant surprise!

This chapter is another long one as we're really motoring along now. Hope you read and enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 _ **The Strength of Bonds**_

He awoke to the man with the freakishly long nose leering at him from across a table with his cartoonish round eyes, and immediately thought that he had eaten that white miso in the back of the fridge and was having a fever-induced nightmare. Then he saw a woman of otherworldly beauty gazing at him with the trained expression of an office secretary and wondered if he was having one of _those_ dreams, which brought about its own implications, not all of which were comfortable.

If it was a dream, he was strangely lucid. A room that he had only caught glimpses of was now in full display for him. The man and woman were sat on blue seats, the floor was blue, the ceiling was blue, and the drapes hanging above the windows were blue. Even the woman's dress was blue. The only things that weren't blue were the man's suit and the mini-bar that was stocked of glasses and unknown liquor.

Calling it a room might not have been accurate, though. Yu could feel the slow and gentle sensation of movement under his feet, and though a thick fog clouded the windows, he could see that were headed somewhere.

None of these observations answered the principle question, though. Where the hell was he?

"I sense you are uneasy," the long-nosed man said, voice smooth and calming, "but there is no cause for alarm, for I have summoned you from within your dreams. You are currently fast asleep in the real world."

So he hadn't been taken from his bedroom in Inaba and dumped into what seemed to be the back of a limousine, which was reassuring and unsettling at the same time. As unlikely a scenario it was, it was one far more grounded in reality, and something that would have been easier to come to terms with. Instead, it seemed he was in an unknown place, summoned by unknown people by unknown means, desperately short of explanations.

The woman, playing her role as secretary, had one on hand. "This is a place between dream and reality, between the conscious and the unconscious. It is a place that only those who have, one way or another, entered into a contract may enter."

Yu stared at her blankly, desperately searching his memories for anything regarding a contract. Maybe he had signed one before, in a dream like this – a possibility that made him sweat. What were the terms of the contract? Had he accidentally signed away his soul to these people? Was he destined to work as that long-nosed man's bartender for the rest of his life?

He very much wanted to wake up at that point.

"There is but one condition you must abide by," the man said. "You must assume responsibility for all decisions you may make. In exchange, we will offer our assistance on your journey."

He explained it like they were basic terms in a business deal, but Yu had a lot more questions than answers.

"Sorry," he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Mind starting from the beginning?"

The woman smiled neutrally. "Of course. Please, take a seat."

She patted the space next to her – a corner seat between her and the man. Yu crossed the room and sat down. He could smell the woman's perfume, a pleasant smell that gave her a mature and sophisticated vibe. On his other side was the man, close enough for Yu to notice that his nostrils were actually normal size, while the rest of his nose stretched out like a beak. The man was so close that were he to turn his head, he'd probably slap Yu in the face with it.

"First, allow me to introduce ourselves," the woman said. "I am Margaret, a resident of this room. He," she gestured to the man, "is my master, Igor. It is our role to observe and assist those who have entered a contract with us."

"What are you helping me with, exactly?"

"In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken to a glorious power, and in doing so you chose to follow your destiny," said Margaret.

"Awaken to a power… you mean my Persona?"

Margaret nodded. Igor, perhaps anticipating his next question, carried on the explanation. "The Persona you have acquired is a side of yourself that you show to the world around you. Think of it as a façade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life."

I art thou, thou art I. Those were the words Izanagi had said to him numerous times before his awakening, right at the moment when his life was in danger. It seemed that when time came to face his greatest challenge, another side of him timely came to the surface, and manifested as a Persona.

But then, what about Yosuke? There was that whole business with his other self, his Shadow, and having to accept the darkest parts of himself before he could obtain his own Persona. Yu didn't have to do that any of that.

"What makes me so special?"

Igor took out a deck of cards from the front pocket of his blazer, drew the top card and handed it to Yu. Drawn on it in black ink was a man carrying a sack, walking towards the edge of a cliff with a dog nipping at his heels. At the bottom, embedded in a blue border, was the number zero.

"Your ability is that of the wild card. It is like the number zero – empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself," said Igor.

Yu tried to make sense of this. Zero, to him, did not represent emptiness, but nothingness. If you gained or lost a zero, you didn't gain or lose anything. From that perspective, it was the perfect number to represent him.

"The Persona ability is the ability to control one's heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds," Igor continued. He instructed Yu to place the card in the middle of the table. Yu did so. Igor then dealt out more cards from the deck, placing them in a circle around the number zero. Going clockwise, the cards were numbered one, two, three, and so on, to number seven. "As you gain more bonds, your power will gradually develop."

The number zero was worthless on its own, but when you added other numbers to it, it became something of use. If Yu understood the metaphor correctly, it meant that he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything alone, but could do if he involved himself with other people.

The question remained, though: what was it he was actually trying to accomplish?

"Bonds are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona," said Margaret. "At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are seeking."

The message was clear: friends made you stronger, and friends helped you when you needed it. He could see the logic behind it, but he doubted it would be so straightforward.

After all, he would be gone in a year's time. Could he really forge real bonds in that time?

Igor pulled out a key from within his jacket and handed it to Yu. "From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room." He chuckled. "I look forward to travelling the road of your destiny together. Till we meet again…"

With those words, the room faded out of existence, and Yu found himself back in his futon, in his bedroom, staring up at the ceiling. The morning sun filtered in through the windows. Clutched in his hand, as irrefutable proof that it had all been real, was a single blue key.

* * *

Saturday the 16th brought yet even more rain upon Inaba and by this point Yu was considering affixing his umbrella permanently to his back, or investing in one of those ridiculous looking umbrella hats. Every day since his arrival in town it had rained and if it wasn't raining it was gloomily overcast.

Really, the weather made it impossible to plan for his day off on Sunday. He wanted to look around town and see its modest sights and go-to destinations, but doing so in a torrential downpour didn't sound appealing at all. A day off confined to his new home with just Nanako for company would be a much better alternative, although even that sounded drab, what with the complete lack of communication between his cousin and himself.

But that was tomorrow. Today, he would have a discussion with Yosuke about their escapades in the other world and attempt to work out what the hell was going on without the fear of their doppelgangers lurking around the corner waiting to kill them. That was, of course, if they survived the wrath of Chie first. He wasn't entirely sure how he would go about apologising for upsetting her.

Chie herself was already seated at her desk when he arrived in the classroom. She neither spoke or looked at him, or did anything to acknowledge his presence. He looked over her at Yosuke at the back of the room, who only shrugged his shoulders. That he wasn't hunched over his desk nursing a certain part of his anatomy was a sure sign that he, too, had been ignored.

The cold shoulder treatment continued throughout morning until lunch break, when she left the classroom tapping at her phone. Yu thought she might have been trying to contact Yukiko, who was notably absent. Yosuke appeared beside his desk, looking put out.

"I can't say I was expecting the silent treatment. It's really weird."

"You'd rather she come at us kicking and screaming?"

"You've only known her for a few days, but Chie doesn't do silent. If she's pissed, you'll know she's pissed." Yosuke grimaced, presumably remembering the occasions he was on the receiving end of her kicks. "Maybe it's something to do with Yukiko-san. She's not missed a day of school since I've been here."

Yu had known Yukiko for less than a week and they hadn't spoken a word to each other, so couldn't comment on her school-going habits. For all he knew, Yukiko having to take time off school was a regular occurrence.

"I guess she's been busy with the inn."

"Yeah, maybe. Although…" Yosuke glanced around the room at the students gathered together and talking. Yu got the message.

"Let's talk somewhere else."

As there was a brief respite in the rain, Yu and Yosuke went up to the roof to continue their discussion. With the weather being as it was, there was little chance that they would be overheard by anyone, and if the rain started up again they could just slip inside and talk on top of the stairway. They both sat on an elevated ledge of concrete, next to a pair of air vents, Yu slouching somewhat while Yosuke crossed his arms and legs.

"You saw the Midnight Channel last night, right?" Yosuke started. Yu nodded. "I couldn't make out who it was, but someone was definitely on it. And Yukiko-san isn't at school today…"

"Coincidence," said Yu, although he couldn't say so with any certainty. He backtracked slightly. "Probably. There must be more than one person absent from school today. For all we know, it could be any of them."

And that was only if they were going on several assumptions: if there was a link between the Midnight Channel and that world, if someone else had been thrown in there recently, and if the next victim was a student.

Yosuke seemed to understand, though still looked pensive. "You're probably right. It's just," he exhaled and stared hard at his feet, "after what happened with Saki-senpai, I'm a bit paranoid about everything. We know she was in that world when she appeared on the Midnight Channel, and we know someone has been throwing people in there. If he's still doing that, I can't ignore it."

His reasons came through loud and clear, and Yu would be lying to himself if he said he didn't feel the same way. He might not have had such a personal stake in it all, but he couldn't, in good conscience, leave things alone after everything that happened the previous day and with everything they learned.

"We can confirm one thing," he said. Yosuke looked at him, brow raised. "If someone's been thrown in there again, Teddie would know. We can check with him later."

Yosuke nodded in understanding. "So say if someone has been thrown in again, what would we do?" He paused. "Sorry, I'm assuming you'll help me find the culprit."

Yu offered half a smile. "Who else is going to help you? It has to be us."

Yosuke's face lit up and he gave Yu a playful dig on the arm. "My man. I knew I could count on you."

"As for what we'd do if someone else is in there," Yu continued, scooting away from Yosuke discretely, "we'll go in there and do everything we can to get them out. We have the power to do that now."

"That's right, we have those Persona thingies now. It's like we were given them specifically so we could solve this case."

It was all so convenient. Just as someone was using this strange world as a means of killing people, Yu and Yosuke were given the power to not only enter the same world, but to fight the monsters that resided within it. Certainly, the timing was suspiciously ideal. But this raised a number of questions that they had no hope of figuring out the answer to, and the last thing they needed were yet more questions with no answers.

All that mattered at the moment was that they had the power and could put it to good use.

They sat in a comfortable silence, distracted by their own thoughts. Yu's drifted back to his dream – or was it a vision? – of Igor and Margaret and the key, the physical proof he hadn't been hallucinating, resting in his pocket. They spoke of bonds, and the role they played in making him stronger and "lighting the way towards the truth". The thought hadn't occurred to him then, but what type of bond did they mean? Friendship, love, familial… there were all types of bonds a person could have, and they could vary in strength, from surface deep to deeply intimate.

He and Yosuke had a bond now, he realised. It was a shallow connection, one born from their shared experience in the other world, but it now existed. Yet, he didn't feel any stronger or any more enlightened than he used to be.

The rain began to fall gently once more, and the two leapt from the ledge and hurried inside the school building.

"Hey," said Yosuke, "what should we do about Chie? Just straight out apologise to her?"

Yu shrugged, honestly not knowing. "We could try, but if she doesn't want to talk to us, it's not going make much a difference."

"Guess all we can do is wait." Yosuke sighed. "That girl is such a handful…"

* * *

They had tried apologising to Chie when they next saw her, but she had dismissed them both with a grunt. She seemed distracted by something, and spent the remainder of the day staring off into space. Yosuke decided it was best to leave her be. He and Yu left the school and, hurrying through the driving rain (Yu having shot down Yosuke's plan of biking them there), went to Junes.

It didn't take them long to get in touch with Teddie – literally, in Yu's case. With Yosuke acting a wall, he plunged his arm into the TV screen and fished about until he felt a set teeth clamp down on his hand. It didn't hurt him much, but the surprise caused him to retract his hand sharply and almost smack Yosuke in the head.

Teddie claimed that he was alone in the world at that time. Yosuke didn't seem entirely convinced, and, after exchanging phone numbers, he and Yu parted with the plan to watch the Midnight Channel again that evening.

Yu was sat on the sofa in his room, watching the clock as the second hand crept towards 12. He tensed up as the three hands of the clock aligned, signalling midnight, and TV buzzed into life. The picture shimmered and shook as it adjusted itself, before finally settling on the very clear and very unexpected sight of Yukiko Amagi wearing a pink and red dress and holding a microphone.

"Hello there! My name is Yukiko Amagi, and today I'm going to hunt me down a stud muffin!" She paused as she received a raucous round of applause. "It's Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Prince Charming!"

She stepped to the side and held out a hand to unveil a title card out of thin air. The show's title was written in glittering, colourful font that looked like it belonged to the studio set of a highly suspect late night reality TV show.

The title faded away, and Yukiko reassumed centre stage.

"And I've come prepared. I have my special undergarments," the camera panned down as she patted the lower part of her dress, "my big, bursting heart," the camera then panned up as she leaned towards the camera and lifted her breasts, until they were dangerously close to popping out the top of her dress, "and a whole club of studs just waiting to be tamed!"

She gestured behind her, and the camera zoomed in on a castle standing ominously in the distance. Its front gate was wide open, revealing a shadowy interior.

"Well, it's time to go! The hunt for my Prince Charming begins now!"

Yukiko turned around and ran girlishly towards the castle entrance. Just as she entered, the "show" came to an end, and the screen turned black once more.

Yu blinked. He didn't know what to expect, but he thought he would end up seeing someone in pain or asking for help. He certainly did not expect _that_.

His phone began ringing. Absently, he picked it up off the table, flipped it open, and put it to his ear.

"Dude, did you see that?" came Yosuke's loud voice. Yu flinched and moved the phone away from his ear. Even then, he could still hear him. "What the hell was that? It was like some cheap late night show, and she was talking about scoring and was she always that big—"

Yu sighed, and put the phone back to his ear. "Calm down."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right. Sorry." Yosuke paused a moment to gather himself. "That was definitely Yukiko-san. She even said so herself. But I couldn't imagine her saying any that stuff, not on her own. Could someone be forcing her, or…," he growled in frustration, "dammit, nothing makes sense."

Rather than speculate over what they had seen, Yu thought it more prudent to focus on the things they could do. "For now, we should get in touch Yukiko. Do you have her number?"

"No, though not for the lack of trying. I'll try contacting Chie instead. She'd definitely be able to get in touch with her." Yosuke sighed. "Man, were we right to check the Midnight Channel. But why Yukiko-san? She doesn't have involvement with the case, does she?"

"We need to confirm with Teddie first that someone is in that world before we start speculating," said Yu. He had as many questions as Yosuke did, but with time ticking on and sleep calling him, he wasn't prepared for a lengthy and circular brainstorming session.

"You're right. We should meet up tomorrow. Junes okay with you?"

"Sure."

"Cool. I'll see you then."

Yosuke hung up. Yu snapped his phone shut and placed it beside him on the sofa, before shutting off his bedroom light and heading to his futon.

* * *

If there was one thing that Yu was learning about Yosuke Hanamura, it was that he had a tendency to not think things through.

That was the only explanation he had for Yosuke turning up at Junes' food court the following morning armed with a decorative katana and a machete. The blades, he said, were fake, but they certainly looked the real deal. So when he started brandishing them and swinging them about, it was totally predictable, and not at all unfortunate, that he did so in the eye-line of a police officer.

Naturally, Yosuke couldn't have put the blades down and explain what was going on. Instead, he panicked, pointed the blades towards the police officer, and ended up surrounded by three more cops before he was disarmed and carried away, presumably to be bundled into a police car and taken down to the station.

Yu, meanwhile, could only watch in silent admiration of not only of the police's quick action, but also at Yosuke's sheer stupidity.

Of course, that meant that he was suddenly alone, and their plan to discuss the case and Yukiko's possible involvement was now thoroughly derailed. He sat down on a chair, and debated going into the other world and seeing Teddie alone. He wouldn't be able to go after her if she had been thrown in, but he could at least confirm if she was in there.

It was at that point that Chie appeared in the food court and, spotting him seated at the table, ran over, her face awash with confusion and panic.

"I just saw Yosuke be carried away by cops," she exclaimed. "What the hell is going on?"

"A misunderstanding," Yu said. "A poorly timed, stupid misunderstanding."

Chie bashed the table with a fist. She sat down and held her head in her hands. "Just when I needed to talk to you guys. Why is he such a moron?"

Yu had a feeling she didn't want to talk to them to make up. "Is this about Yukiko?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. "You knew already?"

"All we know is that she appeared on the Midnight Channel last night. We don't know if she's actually gone missing yet."

"She's disappeared," Chie said. Her voice shook. "I saw her on the Midnight Channel, not just last night, but the night before, too. I got really worried when she didn't show up at school, because of what Yosuke was saying about how people who showed up on it ended up dead, but she was helping out at the inn." She swallowed, and tried to calm herself. "But then she showed up that channel thing again, so I tried calling her and couldn't get through. I went to her place this morning, and she wasn't there. No one knows where she is."

Yu picked his next words carefully. "There's a chance that's she's in that other world."

Chie groaned into her hands. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"We won't know for sure until we've checked with Teddie, but…" he trailed off, as Chie looked at him in confusion. He debated telling her about what happened to him and Yosuke the other day. He had a feeling that if Chie knew about the connection between that world and the recent deaths, she would jump back into that world without hesitation to get Yukiko out, even if she couldn't defend herself against the Shadows. He doubted that telling her to stay behind would do any good. "The thing is…"

So he told her about what he and Yosuke had learned – how they had found proof that Saki was in the world when she died, that they knew what killed her, and their suspicion that people inside the TV appeared on the Midnight Channel. He left out the parts about Personas, Yosuke's own Shadow and the fight that ensued afterwards.

"If I hadn't seen the place with my own eyes, I would have never believed you." Chie suddenly jumped out of her chair. "We need go in and save her right away!"

"We will, but we need to make sure we're prepared," he said patiently. He prepared himself for the inevitable outburst. "We should wait for Yosuke as well."

"Who knows when that idiot will be back? The two of us will be fine." Her face turned pleading. "I can't just sit around waiting when Yukiko could be suffering right now."

Yu rubbed the back of his neck, troubled. He understood Chie's urgency and even he was concerned with leaving things for too long. Yukiko would be safe until the next foggy day, in as much that she wouldn't lose her life before then. But who knew what sort of ordeal she would go through in the meantime? Then they had to consider that the weather forecast wasn't always accurate; that a foggy day could come sooner than predicted.

Yet, knowing the dangers that world posed to them meant they couldn't afford to be reckless. If something were to happen to them, then nobody would be saving Yukiko.

"Let's give it an hour," he said, hoping it would placate Chie for the time being. "If we don't hear anything from Yosuke by then, we'll go in without him."

Chie stared hard at Yu for a moment, before reluctantly nodding. She threw herself back down into her seat and heaved a large sigh, then started grumbling about something Yu couldn't make out. Neither of them spoke a word after that; the only sounds were the hustle and bustle of people coming in and out of the food court, ordering food and conversing at the tables. After about five minutes, Chie got up out of her chair and began pacing. She gave an uneasy look at her wristwatch, and then paced some more. Ten minutes later she was in a line at one of the food booths. She returned with a hot-dog and bottle of soft drink.

Yu, meanwhile, was content to sit and wait, knowing full well that any attempt at conversation would lead to nowhere. Chie was hardly in the mood to talk about anything other than rescuing Yukiko, and he hardly had an extensive list of topics.

"Um, hey," Chie spoke up, having devoured her food in about four bites. "About yesterday... I didn't ignore you and Yosuke because I was mad. I was just thinking about some stuff."

 _About what?_ He considered asking, but didn't want to be nosy. "We wouldn't have blamed you for being upset."

"I was, but..." she trailed off, and toyed with her drink bottle. "It turned out fine, so forget about it."

The silence returned. Chie struggled to find something else to say. Yu just watched her, until his phone sounded off. He slid it out of his pocket and checked the screen, aware that he had Chie's undivided attention.

"It's Yosuke," he told her, then answered it. "How many years did you get?"

" _Haha, very funny. They confiscated the weapons and gave me a warning. The guy who questioned me was pissed."_ Yosuke gave a short, nervous laugh. _"Anyway, is Chie with you by any chance?"_

"Yeah." Yu paused, and glanced at her. "She was pissed."

" _Of course she was..."_ Yosuke sighed. _"Look, we need to meet up. I have something you'll want to hear. I'm near the Shopping District right now, so meet me halfway."_

"Got it. See you soon."

He flipped the phone shut and rose from his chair. "We're meeting Yosuke at the Shopping District."

"Finally," Chie said, jumping to her feet. She punched her palm. "I'm gonna give that guy a piece of my mind."

"Just be gentle with him."

Chie took off towards the Shopping District, practically running, while Yu followed at a more sedate pace. Several times she turned around to look at him and made an effort to slow down, before getting impatient and taking off again. Yu hoped Yosuke was ready for what was heading his way.

It was when they were walking past Moel's gas station when he realised this would be his first visit to the famous Shopping District – on this side, anyway. A bookstore with a painted green exterior immediately caught his eye, and he made a note to visit it the next chance he got. Other shops he noticed were a convenience store, a tofu shop and, curiously enough, what seemed to be a metal works. Further up the road, he knew he would find Konishi Liquors.

In the morning sun, the place looked far more welcoming than it did in the other world, but with only a handful of people milling about, several shops with the shutters down and signs saying "out of business", it was no more cheerful.

They found Yosuke waiting further up the road, standing outside a Chinese restaurant. When he caught sight of Chie's venomous glare, he held up his arms up in defence.

"Before you do anything to me, I have something important to say: Yukiko-san has gone missing."

"I know," Chie hissed, "and we'd be rescuing her by now if you weren't such a moron!"

"Come on, what were the chances of being caught by a cop at that exact moment?" Yosuke shook his head. "And what do you mean "we"? You can't come with us!"

"Why the hell not? I can look after myself!" She continued as Yosuke tried to say something. "And don't say it's too dangerous. A bit of danger isn't going to stop me when Yukiko's life is on the line."

Yosuke struggled to respond. Yu had a feeling he knew what he wanted to say: Chie didn't have a Persona like they had. But explaining that to her now would be difficult without proof.

"You say something to her!" Yosuke said, looking around Chie at Yu.

"We won't be able to change her mind," he said. "We'll just have to protect her."

Chie placed her hands on her hips. "I don't _need_ protecting."

Yosuke didn't look pleased with this outcome, but didn't argue. "At least take a weapon with you or something."

"My feet are my weapons," she said. She then paused in thought. "Although, if I had a pair of boots with spikes on, my kicks would hurt more…"

"Junes doesn't sell those," Yosuke said flatly.

"No," Chie said, smirking, "but _they_ do."

She pointed to the metal works a short way down the road and then dragged Yu and Yosuke towards it.

* * *

It had to be said that Inaba was blowing Yu's expectations. Within a week, he had discovered a whole new world, met a walking-talking bear suit, battled floating mouths and mutant frogs with a golf club, awakened some sort of super-power and gained a key to a pocket dimension of sorts that was home to the comically long-nosed Igor. He could now add purchasing an imitation katana and smuggling it through the streets towards Junes to that list.

Why Inaba had a blacksmith that created and sold real weaponry and armour he had no idea. Daidara, an aging man with tufts of red hair on his head, a short moustache and bulging muscles, hadn't said a word when three teenagers waltzed into his store and purchased one sword, a pair of hunting knives (with dulled and worn edges), and a pair of reinforced sneakers. In fact, he seemed delighted – not just to make a sale, but to also get rid of the knives that he claimed were a disgrace to his other works and sullying his shelves.

Now Yu felt extremely awkward as he walked with a long and thin bag hung over his shoulder. Anyone who saw him might have thought he was carrying a hockey stick or snooker cue; he just hoped that no police officer, anxious to find anyone suspicious, would stop him and search the bag. He wasn't looking forward to having to explain why he purchased a sword to his uncle.

Yosuke, if possible, likely felt more awkward than he was. His knives were tucked into the waistband of his trousers and hidden by his jacket that he had the sense to zip up. Chie, already wearing her new shoes, marched on ahead of them as they headed back to Junes.

"I bet we look really suspicious right now," groaned Yosuke. He eyed the bag on Yu's shoulder. "Why'd you pick a sword?"

"I did a bit of kendo once."

"Oh, yeah? So you went with something you knew how to use. Makes sense. I just went with something cool." He laughed. "And cheap."

"Hopefully we won't have to use them at all."

"I hear ya." Yosuke's expression turned serious. "I didn't want to say this with Chie around, since she's amped up enough as it is, but I heard something while I was at the police station. These two guys, one of them was a detective I think, were talking about how Yukiko-san was laying low, for some reason."

Yu frowned. "They suspect her?"

"Apparently that Yamano lady had some harsh words for Yukiko-san's mum and she ended up fainting from stress. That's why she's been so busy lately. They think it could be a motive for something." Yosuke gave a rueful shake of his head. "Stupid, right? That's how desperate the cops are right now."

As far as motives for murder went, it was flimsy at best. Yukiko might have been upset about it, but to straight up kill someone over it? He just couldn't see it. Nor could he see how Yukiko would have been able to hang Yamano's body from a telephone pole.

He could imagine what Chie would have thought of it.

"It really has to be us," said Yosuke.

Perhaps he still had some hope that they could get more help, but the nature of the case made police involvement near impossible. The size of their task suddenly seemed much larger than the two of them could realistically handle.

Chie suddenly stopped and whipped around to face them. "Come on, you two. Move it!"

Yosuke rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. To Yu, he said, "Well, let's give it everything we got."

They couldn't do anything else.

* * *

Teddie had been in a contemplative mood when they found him in the usual spot, though over what they never found out as Chie pressured him into taking them where Yukiko was. He took them through the fog towards the castle that had appeared on the Midnight Channel the previous night.

Up close, it looked intimidating, with its entirety cast in shadow and a faint, red light pouring out of the windows. The pathway leading up the castle gate was lined by two thick brick walls, and statues of horses stood on their hind legs, looking like they were about to gallop.

"So Yukiko's in there?" asked Chie while eyeing up the castle walls.

"The nose doesn't lie. There's definitely someone in there," said Teddie. "There are a lot of Shadows in there, too."

Chie ignored that last bit. "I'm going on ahead!" she announced, before taking off in a sprint down the pathway and through the castle gates. Yosuke reached out to grab her but it was a futile effort.

"Dammit, why doesn't she listen to what people are saying to her?" he exclaimed. "Come on, we need to go after her before she does something stupid again."

Yu, Yosuke and Teddie followed after her. The interior of the castle was expectedly decadent, with marble floors and walls covered by drapes of vivid red with gold trim. The hallway they stood in was vast, yet there was no sign of Chie.

"Great, now we need to look for Chie too." Yosuke sighed. "I knew bringing her along would be a bad idea."

Yu couldn't help but feel a bit responsible, being the one that ultimately made the decision to let her come. She had been so desperate in asking for their help he thought she would at least cooperate with them, but it seemed her impulses were far too strong when it came to Yukiko.

Honestly, he was envious of it. He couldn't imagine anyone coming to his rescue like that.

"Teddie, can you smell Chie as well?" he asked.

Teddie nodded. "I sure can. She's not that far off. She's lucky there aren't that many Shadows on this floor, but the upper floors… she'll be in danger all by herself."

Their course of action was clear: press on through the castle and catch up to Chie before she was attacked.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any Shadows as they ran through the hallway, and though they encountered many doors leading to dead ends, the layout of the floor wasn't too complicated. Eventually, they found a set of stairs and followed it up to the second floor.

Here, they came across a round chamber that seemed like an amphitheatre, with four rows of seats surrounding the performance area. This room shared the same red and gold motif as the rest of the castle, only it had excessively long drapes hanging down from the ceiling and covering the windows. In the centre was a sparkling chandelier that brightened the room considerably, and made it seem as if the fog wasn't even there.

Standing in the middle of the room was Chie. She was looking up at the ceiling, wide-eyed.

 _She said that red looks good on me…_

Yukiko's soft, disembodied voice floated over the chamber.

 _I hated my name. Yukiko… Snow… Snow is cold and it melts quickly. It's transient, worthless. But it might be perfect for me. Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless._

 _Still, Chie said I look good in red._

The surroundings were entirely different, but Yu was feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. Just as Saki Konishi's inner thoughts were broadcast for him and Yosuke to hear, so too were Yukiko's.

And if this situation played out like that one, he had a feeling he knew what would happen next.

"We need to get her out of here," he said to Yosuke. Yosuke stepped forward and put a hand on Chie's shoulder.

"Hey, come on, we shouldn't stay here."

Chie, though, ignored him. She was stupefied.

 _Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning. She's bright and strong, and she can do anything. She has everything that I don't. Compared to her, I'm…_

 _She's always protecting me. I don't deserve it._

 _She's so kind…_

"'She's so kind'," a new voice said, in a mocking imitation of Yukiko's. The voice laughed. "What a joke."

All eyes shot to the front of chamber. Stood there was another Chie, identical in appearance from the hair to the clothes, only her eyes shone gold, and she was surrounded by a sinister blue aura.

Chie snapped out of her stupor and gaped at the newcomer.

"W-what the hell is this?"

Yu and Yosuke shared a look. The similarities to their previous visit were uncanny.

The other Chie continued to laugh.

"She says she's worthless! Oh, this is hysterical." It smirked. "But that's how it should be."

Chie's Shadow began to pace around the chamber, and spoke with expressive hand gestures, like it was delivering a speech to an audience.

"Yukiko's got the looks, the beautiful skin and that delicate, feminine aura that makes all the guys drool over her, but she can't do anything if I'm not around and she knows it. I'm better than she is. Much better."

It stopped pacing and turned to face Chie. It walked up to her, its lips creeping up into a smile.

"I can't compete with Yukiko as a girl, or even as a person. But she depends on me, and it gives me such a charge. That makes her a friend worth having, and one I will never let go."

Chie shook her head wildly, and pushed her Shadow away. "Shut up! I don't think like that. I've never thought that!"

Her shadow seemed amused by Chie's antics and crept closer again.

"That's what you say, but if I think like that, then you must think like that, too. After all, I'm you."

At this point, Yu could sense the situation was about to get dangerous. He stepped forward and grasped Chie by the arm, then tried to pull her away from her Shadow. She held her ground firmly, though, and wrenched her arm free with surprising strength.

"No, you're not. You're nothing like me. You're a fake," she spat at her Shadow.

"Ignore her, Chie! We need to get out of here!" Yosuke said. For the first time, Chie acknowledged his and Yu's presence. Her expression was frightened, and she shook her furiously.

"That thing is not me!"

And that was the trigger.

It happened just as it did with Yosuke's Shadow. Chie's Shadow cackled as the blue aura grew until it surrounded her completely. Its shape shifted and distorted until it became something horrifying and unrecognisable. What emerged was a woman dressed in a yellow dominatrix suit, wearing a pointed mask with small round eyeholes. She had thick, dark hair that cascaded down to the floor and splashed out for several meters. She stat crossed legged atop a tower of girls, grey skinned and expressionless, but wearing the school uniform of Yasogami High, and in her hand was a whip, as long as the monster was tall, that she snapped against the floor.

And just as with Yosuke's Shadow, Chie took one look at the thing and fainted.

"I am a Shadow, the true self," the monster said, "and the _only_ self."

Yu acted quickly. He scooped up Chie's body and darted away from the monster. Yosuke and Teddie followed him, just as the whip cracked down on the floor again, leaving a tear in the carpet.

"Ah balls, now what do we do?" Yosuke said, clumsily removing his knives from the waistband of his trousers.

"Running is an option," said Yu, "but that thing will be there when we come back, and it didn't look like there was another way up the castle."

"So we'll have to fight it." Yosuke stared up at the woman atop the tower. "She can't be that tough, right?"

"I guess we'll find out." Yu drew his katana and tossed the scabbard to one side. "Teddie, keep an eye on Chie."

"You got it, Sensei. Good luck."

Yu and Yosuke stepped forward, their weapons ready. Shadow Chie looked down on them, and snorted.

"You think you can defend her from me? Get real."

"Let's give this a try," said Yosuke, a blue card appearing and floating down in front of his face. "Persona!"

The card shattered, and Yosuke's Persona, Jiraiya, with its white jumpsuit, red scarf and frog like face, appeared in the air above him. Jiraiya smacked his hands together, and a short, rapid burst of wind shot through the air and collided with Shadow Chie with a boom that echoed around the chamber.

The pair of bodies supporting her rocked back, but soon righted itself. Shadow Chie looked no worse off, and laughed mockingly.

"I hope that's not all you've got. We're only getting started."

A green, shimmering light flashed over her.

"She's protected herself against wind attacks!" Teddie called out from the back.

Yosuke swore, and sent Jiraiya in, the shuriken attached to his wrists reared and ready to strike. With a snap of her wrist, Shadow Chie's whip shot up and coiled tightly around Jiraiya, constricting his arms against his body and halting its progress entirely. Jiraiya squirmed and struggled, but couldn't break free. Shadow Chie directed her gaze at Yosuke, and slowly raised her free hand.

Yu sensed danger, and felt his skin prick. "Yosuke, move!"

"Wha-" Yosuke was cut off by Yu tackling him to the ground. A split second afterwards, a bolt of lightning roared into existence and struck the spot Yosuke had been standing on. Yu looked back and saw not one, but two charred and smoking spots on the ground, where the two of them had been standing. Yosuke gulped. "W-we just nearly died, didn't we?"

Yu shuddered, having realised that had he been a split second too late, the two of them would be burnt corpses. He picked himself off the floor, and helped Yosuke to his feet. They looked wearily at their opponent. Despite being stationary, the speed and precision with which she wielded her whip made it difficult to get close, while she had such a powerful spell to attack them with without having to move.

But they weren't without hope. If she had cast a spell to protect herself from wind attacks, then she must have been vulnerable to them. Yu also noted the small eyeholes on her mask, and how she would have poor peripheral vision. It was possible she would be weak to a surprise attack from the rear.

Before they could do anything, though, they needed to get Jiraiya free.

"Izanagi," Yu called out, and the coated figure appeared. Brandishing its naginata, it zipped in and sliced through the whip like it was a piece of string. Shadow Chie was unperturbed by the destruction of her weapon, and instead giggled while she reached back and plucked out one of her impossibly long and thick hairs. She gripped it at one end and swung it towards Izanagi. The end struck him on the backside.

Yu suddenly felt a sharp, stinging pain on his own backside. He hissed, and brought a hand to it. He couldn't feel any blood seeping through his clothes, even though he felt like someone had sliced his ass-cheek with a razor blade.

Yosuke gave him an odd look. "You okay bro?"

He winced. "I'll manage. Try not to let your Persona get hit."

Yosuke nodded. Jiraiya flew in, readying another strike with its shuriken. Shadow Chie leant back and allowed him to soar over, before bringing up a leg and planting it between Jiraiya's legs. Yosuke crumpled into a heap, and whined loudly.

"Why is it always the nads..."

Jiraiya vanished, leaving only Yu and Izanagi in the fight. Alone, charging in for a physical attack would be risky, so Yu opted to attack from a distance instead. Izanagi sent a bolt of Zio crashing down on Shadow Chie, though the attack had no noticeable effect. Shadow Chie's response was to use an even stronger lightning attack. Izanagi took the brunt of it, but Yu still felt some of the impact.

"Can you stand?" Yu said, as Yosuke was getting onto his knees and taking a few deep breaths. He nodded, and gingerly got to his feet.

"We're getting our asses whooped," he complained. "Have we even done any damage?"

"We need to get behind her."

"Okay, but how?" Yu did have an idea, but it was a risky one. He relayed it to Yosuke, who looked at him uncertainty. "You think it'll work?"

"If it doesn't, we're dead," Yu said bluntly. Yosuke's face turned grim. He took a look at Chie lying next to Teddie.

"...she better thank us for this," he said, and readied his knives.

The two shared a look and, on Yu's signal, they charged Shadow Chie. Yu watched her hands carefully. She brought up her weapon hand and swept her whip across the ground. Just as it neared Yosuke's feet, he cried out.

"Jump!"

Yosuke hurdled the incoming whip, and continued his charge. Yu stopped, and hurled his sword at the monster. She swatted it away with ease. The whip brushed Yu off his feet, and he landed on his back with a heavy thump. He barely had time to catch his breath as he saw a pointed heel descend towards him. He rolled onto his side, the heel barely missing his chest and stabbing into the ground. It rose again, and Yu rolled onto his front, again barely evading being skewered. He looked behind her, through all the hair, and glimpsed Yosuke taking up position.

"Let's go, Jiraiya!"

Yu couldn't see it well from his position, but just as they planned, a wind attack struck Shadow Chie in the back. She stumbled forward, falling off her perch atop the girl-tower. She whipped around, preparing to retaliate against Yosuke. Yu summoned Izanagi once more. The Persona flew in and ran through Shadow Chie from behind with his blade.

Time seemed to stop. For a moment, Yu thought they hadn't done enough. Shadow Chie growled and shook as she grasped the blade, but with one final roar, she stopped moving and faded away, leaving her human form remaining, standing with her head bowed.

Yu exhaled, and got to his feet. Yosuke joined him.

"We won," he said, scarcely able to believe it.

"It's not over, though," Yu said. As long as the Shadow remained, there was always a chance of another battle starting up. "We can only rely on Chie now."

Chie had regained consciousness, and was being helped to her feet by Teddie, using his dome shaped head as support. She stumbled over to them, and glared at her Shadow.

"What's wrong? Got nothing else to say?"

Yosuke put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough, Chie. It's okay."

"But..."

Much like Yosuke, Chie was reluctant to accept her Shadow as a part of her. Yu understood why. Nobody wanted their dark side, their deepest, most spiteful thoughts, exposed to anybody, not least themselves. Nobody wanted to be reminded that they weren't as good or as kind as they thought they were.

"We all have different faces," he told her. "We might bury them as deep as we can, but they exist, as a part of us."

"He's right. I went through the same thing," said Yosuke, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "So I get it. It sucks. I mean, really sucks. But everyone has a side like this."

Chie looked at them both, and then looked back at Shadow self. "I kinda get it now. You're a side of me that I hated, and was scared to let out those thoughts and feelings because they were unforgivable. But you still exist, as a part of me..."

Her Shadow self looked up and made eye contact with Chie. It gave a single nod, before disappearing completely, leaving only the after-image of a woman dressed in yellow, with silver armour and double-ended blade. That, too, vanished, and Chie dropped to her knees.

"Man, I'm beat," she said.

"That makes two of us," Yosuke groaned. He winced. "The pain hasn't gone away yet..."

Yu didn't feel too bad, though his rear end still stung. Persona had amazing fighting capabilities, but pain-sharing was certainly an undesired feature.

"We should go back," he said.

Yosuke nodded. "Yeah, I agree. I don't think I can do another fight like that. Chie's not looking great either."

"I can keep going," said Chie, forcing herself to her feet. She stumbled, and fell on top of Teddie.

"Don't overdo it," he exclaimed.

"You can't fight like that. Hell, none of us can really fight right now," Yosuke said. "If we keep going now, we might not even reach Yukiko-san."

Chie bit her lip and clenched her fists. "But I can't just leave her here! And I need to tell her that I'm not as strong as she thinks, and, and..."

"You need to get your strength back. Then you can tell her," Teddie said gently. "Yuki-chan's normal, so the Shadows won't attack her until the fog lifts."

"What are you talking about?"

Yosuke sighed. "We'll explain on the way out."

"I'm not going. Not after we've come so far!"

Yosuke threw his hands up, and looked about ready to snap. Yu decided to step in before another argument broke out.

"We don't know how much further we have to go to get to her," he started. "nor do we know how strong the Shadows will be. If we over-exert ourselves, we might end up injured, or worse. Then nobody will be able to save her."

Chie was silent as she took in what he said. Her desire to save her friend was powerful, and he shared her frustration about having to turn back. Yet with so much at stake, they had to be pragmatic.

"Fine," she said finally. She pushed herself off of Teddie. "I don't want to leave her here by herself, but I guess we don't have much choice."

All agreed, the four made their way back to the stairway and back down to the first floor.

"Hey, guys," Chie said, "I'm sorry for rushing ahead like that."

"It's fine. Not like we don't understand how you feel. Just think about it next time." Yosuke gave her a cheeky smile. "I know that's hard for you."

"Oh, you're so lucky I can barely move right now."

* * *

The electronics department was mercifully empty when Yu, Yosuke and Chie emerged from the TV and set down in the real world again. Yu had the foresight to leave their weapons behind with Teddie, so as to avoid the need to sneak in and out and not attract suspicion, and to avoid the awkward conversation with his uncle about why he was bringing a weapon home.

By this point, Chie could hardly walk straight, not only because of the onset of exhaustion post the defeat of her Shadow, but also because of her spending the entire time without a pair of Teddie's glasses to protect her from the fog. Reluctantly, and with plenty of complaints, she agreed to let Yosuke walk her home.

"We're definitely coming back tomorrow, right?" she said in a voice that allowed no argument.

"Yeah, we'll meet up after school and—"

Chie shook her head. "I'm not waiting that long. We're going in first thing tomorrow morning."

"Since we don't know how long we'll be in there for, we won't want to go in too late," Yu thought aloud.

Yosuke didn't seem to be in the mood to argue and just shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, but don't blame me when King Moron comes after us for skipping class."

With that decided, they left Junes and departed for home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Eh, can't help but feel the ending to this was rushed... Originally the fight against Shadow Chie wasn't going to be in this chapter, but then I came up with a fun idea for Yukiko's Castle and the fight against Shadow Yukiko that wouldn't have left much room for two big fights in one chapter. I enjoyed planning the big fight and coming up with unique ways for Shadow Chie to be a threat outside of Green Wall and Mazio. It's something I'll aim to do for every Shadow fight. It's just the shame that I couldn't make use of the location more, as I did for the Shadow Yosuke fight.

You may have noticed that the structure of the fic has been altered slightly. I went and combined chapters one and two, and added a short prologue that I thought would help establish Yu's character and what the big theme for this story will be.

Tell me what you think. The next chapter will be up within a week or so.


	6. CH5: Welcome to Yukiko's Castle!

**Chapter Five**

 _ **Welcome to Yukiko's Castle!**_

As promised, they were back in the TV world early the following morning. They had met up at Junes and, despite Yosuke's pointing out that it wasn't going to rain for a good few days, had entered through the TV as usual, with Chie practically shoving Yosuke through the screen and ensuring he got a rough landing.

They found Teddie waiting for them, as usual, though he wasn't prepared for their arrival as he was spread out on his back, snoring. Chie nudged him with her foot and he stirred, but didn't wake.

"Hey Ted, wake up. We've got work to do," said Yosuke, joining Chie in prodding the bear. Teddie snorted and gradually his eyelids opened.

He moaned sleepily. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Duh, we're here to save Yukiko." Chie gave him a sharper prod with her foot. "Come on, get up. It's go time."

While Yosuke and Chie were busy rousing Teddie, Yu collected and inspected their weapons. His sword was remarkably still intact even after he had recklessly chucked it at Shadow Chie, unlike the golf club he had attempt to wrap around Shadow Yosuke's head. So far, weapons were proving ineffectual against such large opponents, and he wondered if they were even worth bringing.

"It's too early for this," he heard Teddie whine. The bear was on his feet but showing little alertness. Chie was attempting to cajole him into action with a few motivational one-liners, while Yosuke walked over to him.

"Everything okay?"

He nodded and sheathed his sword. "About as useful as the last time we used them."

Yosuke knelt down and gathered his knives. "You think we should leave them behind?"

He shrugged. He didn't have sufficient knowledge of what they were up against to decide if the blades were useful or not, nor did he want to be the one to make the call either way only for that decision to work against them. Still, better safe than sorry, he supposed.

"No, we should take them. If nothing else, we can use them as a diversion."

Yosuke snorted. "Those are some expensive diversions." He put his knives in the waistband of his trousers and picked up Chie's boots. Their weight surprised him, and he nearly fumbled them to the floor. "Geez, these things weigh a tonne. Just how strong is that girl?"

"Strong enough to kick those Shadows' asses," Chie's voice came from behind them. She reached over Yosuke's shoulder and picked up her boots with ease. "You need to work out more. These things aren't _that_ heavy."

Yosuke stood up and gestured to Chie's face. "Teddie give you those?"

A pair of yellow-rimmed glass now adorned Chie's face. She reached up with her free hand and adjusted them. "Yup. They really make a difference. It's no wonder I had such a bad headache yesterday."

Teddie waddled up to her side, now looking fully awake. "I made them for her after you guys left yesterday. Now she can fight like you two can."

Chie was beaming at the prospect as she knelt down and changed her shoes. "They're not going to know what hit them."

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "Just don't run off on your own again."

When the three were ready, they let Teddie lead them through the fog to Yukiko's Castle. Nothing had changed overnight, and they were once again greeted by the statues of galloping horses and wide open gate leading into darkness.

Chie craned her head upwards to get a get look at the menacing structure. "I didn't notice yesterday, but didn't this castle appear on the TV when Yukiko did?"

"Looks like it," Yosuke said. He turned to Teddie. "There's no one filming that Midnight Channel thing, right?"

"I don't know what this filming thing is," said Teddie, "but I told you before: it's just me and Shadows here. Maybe people on your side can see into this world, somehow."

Chie scratched her head. "But wouldn't that be strange? I mean, that couldn't have been the real Yukiko we were watching. There's no way she would say things like 'scoring a hot stud'."

Teddie tilted his head. "'Score'? 'Stud'?"

"Maybe it wasn't Yukiko we saw, but her other self," Yu posited.

"Like what happened with Chie and me… yeah, that could be it," said Yosuke. "So this place could be like her reality or something. But why a castle?"

"I don't get this at all. Let's just ask Yukiko when we save her."

As if to announce the conversation was over, Chie took determined steps towards the castle. Yosuke followed, once again reminding her not to go off on her own. Yu brought up the rear, with Teddie walking squeakily alongside him.

"Hey sensei, what does 'scoring a hot stud' mean?" he asked, perfectly innocent.

Yu searched for the best way of answering. He figured he had three options: answer him honestly, ignore him, or take advantage of his gullible nature. Each of which would likely cause problems down the line.

"It means getting together with a good looking man."

"Oh, okay." Teddie sounded like he understood, but Yu suspected he was just as confused. "Why does Yuki-chan want to do that?"

They arrived at the castle gate, with the same decadent hallway stretching out ahead of them into the distance.

"I think we're about to find that out."

* * *

The first floor of the castle was, once again, surprisingly sparse of Shadow activity, and the four of them were able to reach the stairway unmolested. When they reached the second floor, though, they encountered an unpleasant surprise.

At the opposite end of the chamber, where the stairs lead up to the next floor, were two enormous Shadows. They both wore silver armour with sharp ridges, and helmets with a T-shaped mouth that revealed only back faces. Each wielded a joust several feet long, that they held in a single hand like they were wielding a stick, and each were mounted on a horse covered in purple cloth. Standing between the two of them was a stumpy, human-shaped Shadow wearing red and blue robes, with curly blond hair atop a ball-shaped head and a face that looked like was drawn in pen.

In the middle of the room was Yukiko – or at least, the version of her wearing the pink dress, and holding a microphone. A blue aura, something that was becoming a very familiar sight, surrounded her.

"That's not the real Yukiko, is it," said Chie, eyeing the girl.

"It's just like what happened with you and me," said Yosuke, frowning. "But then, where's the real Yukiko-san?"

Shadow Yukiko smiled prettily at them, and performed a curtsey. Teddie's eyes bugged out of his head when he caught a glimpse of her cleavage, which earned him a nudge from Yosuke, who urged to calm down. Shadow Yukiko stepped forward and put the mic to her mouth, as if she was suddenly on camera.

"Welcome, my dear special guests, to Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Prince Charming!" she said. Behind appeared the same title card that was on the Midnight Channel, completely out of nowhere. "I was starting to wonder when my Prince Charming will appear, and then three candidates arrive. Let's give them a round of applause!"

She started clapping her hands, and was joined by a chorus of applause that thundered around the chamber.

"Am I the only one that's lost right now?" asked Yosuke. He received a unanimous no from the rest of the group. There were so many things strange about the situation that Yu was having difficulty keeping things straight. "What's this about being candidates? We're not actually on some TV show, are we?"

"The rules, my dear princes, are very simple," Yukiko continued. "There are five trials you must overcome. If you display enough bravery and heroism as you overcome them, you will be deemed suitable to be my Prince Charming."

"We're not going to play your stupid little game!" Chie snapped. "Tell us where Yukiko is!"

Shadow Yukiko giggled. "Why, isn't she right here, in front of you?" She gestured to the Shadow's behind her. "You don't have to participate if you don't want to, but then my brave knights here will have to kindly escort you from the building."

The two knight Shadows stood to attention, but Chie didn't stand down at all. Behind her, Yu and Yosuke shared identical looks of uncertainty. Neither fancied their chances against both Shadows at the same time, nor did it seem sensible for them to have a large scale battle so soon after entering the castle.

"We'll play along," said Yu.

Chie turned to him with an incredulous expression. "Are you serious? We could totally take those guys."

"I'd rather avoid wasting energy if possible."

Yosuke backed him up. "If we just fight everything we see we'll have nothing left by the time we reach the top of this place."

"Those Shadows feel really strong, too," Teddie offered, staring uneasily at the knights.

Chie sighed in exasperation. "Okay, fine. I see your point. We'll play the stupid game."

"Excellent!" Yukiko chirped, having waited patiently for them to finish talking. "Now if you could dress yourself in the proper attire we can get started."

The stumpy Shadow that had been standing between the knights suddenly stepped forward and clapped it tiny hands. In a puff of smoke, a bundle of clothes appeared at the feet of Yu, Yosuke and Chie.

"We have to change clothes? Seriously?" Yosuke complained, fingering a garb from his pile. Yu inspected his own pile of what looked like a tunic and a pair of slim pants that cut off at the shin.

Shadow Yukiko only smiled. "Failure to wear the proper attire will result in disqualification."

At this, the knights raised their jousts and saluted.

With not much choice, they gathered up their new clothes. Chie looked around uncertainly, and walked off towards one of the long drapes. She fixed the two boys and Teddie with a glare.

"Don't you even think of peeking," she warned.

Yosuke rolled his eyes, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Teddie made to follow Chie, until Yosuke grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. "You'll die if you go that way, Ted."

"I wasn't going to do anything!" he insisted. He then looked at Shadow Yukiko. "And where're my clothes?"

"Pets aren't allowed to enter."

Teddie was speechless. Yu and Yosuke ignored him, occupied with a new problem that had arose. They had to change clothes, but Shadow Yukiko was still standing there, watching them just a little too closely. They glanced at her, and she only smiled once more.

"Oh, don't mind me, boys," she said, before licking her lips.

Yosuke glanced from her to his clothes, looking distinctly uncomfortable. Yu only sighed, and began shedding his jacket. Screw it, he thought. What did matter if she saw? It wasn't like the real Yukiko was watching them.

"Dude, do you get nervous at all?" he asked in astonishment. Yu was in the process of removing his shirt as he answered.

"There's no point standing around here doing nothing."

"I guess," Yosuke grunted. He took another look at Yukiko, then sighed. "Gotta do what we gotta do… Hey, Teddie, stand here a sec will ya?"

Yosuke pulled Teddie towards him by the arm, then positioned him so his back was to Yosuke and he was acting as a shield. He and Yu changed hurriedly. When they were done, Yu was wearing a brown, short sleeved tunic with white pants that cut off part way down his shin, and a pair of flimsy sandals, while Yosuke was wearing an emerald green jester's outfit, complete with funny hat and nose.

Teddie burst out laughing. Yosuke's face flushed. "This cannot be happening to me right now." Yu stared at him, face unmoving. Yosuke glared at him. "Don't say a word, farm boy."

"You both look so dashing," Shadow Yukiko said. "Now we just need our _hero_ to emerge from behind the curtain."

On cue, Chie came out from behind the drapes, looking uncomfortable. She, too, was wearing a tunic, only hers were red with a gold trim, and was made of a finer material than Yu's. She wore white tights and red shoes. Completing the look was a blue cape that hung down to the back of her thighs, and a rapier strapped to her hip.

"I feel really stupid right about now," she said. Then she took a look at Yosuke and snorted. "But not as stupid as you."

Yosuke groaned and grumbled about the unfairness of it all. Shadow Yukiko clapped her hands together.

"Okay, now that everyone is properly dressed, we can get this show started," she said. "There's just one, tiny little thing we still need to do… your weapons must be confiscated."

Before anyone could react, the stubby Shadow dashed across the floor and swept away the sword, knives and shoes, before taking off up the stairs. At Yu's and Yosuke's feet were new weapons – a pitchfork and a set of juggling balls respectively.

Yu picked the pitchfork up and ran his finger across one of the spikes. "It's made of plastic."

"That still makes it more useful than this crap," Yosuke said, holding his juggling balls with a sour look on his face. He turned to Chie. "Please tell me that sword is real."

Chie drew her rapier. The motion caused the blade to flop around all over the place. She held it up and flicked it, causing it to shake, much like a spring.

"I bet it'd hurt if I slapped you with this," she commented as she sheathed the toy weapon.

"Alrighty then, let's get this show on the road!" Shadow Yukiko suddenly announced, and with a click of her fingers, she and the two knights vanished. Her voice continued to echo around the chamber. "I'll be waiting, my princes…"

The four of them stood around in a baffled silence. Coerced into taking part in a strange game, without their weapons and the slightest idea about what to expect – their rescue of Yukiko wasn't off to the greatest of starts.

Yu cleared his throat. "Well, onwards and upwards."

"There's nothing else we can do," said Chie. "I mean, all this stuff is annoying, but what's the worst that can happen?"

Yosuke only groaned again. The four walked towards the staircase, the bells on Yosuke's hat jingling with every step.

* * *

The third floor of the castle was, according to Teddie, suspiciously devoid of Shadow activity. Rather than ease the group's nerves, it had the opposite effect by creating a sense of paranoia; that it was just a little too quiet, and something was going to jump out at them at any second. The stillness of the castle's atmosphere, and the sound of their feet brushing against the carpet didn't help.

Neither did the linear pathway that they were seemingly confined too. Though they had passed several doors on the way, none of them would open despite their best efforts to force them to. They couldn't escape the feeling that they were being lead somewhere.

The group pressed on nonetheless, until the carpet ran out, and the remaining path ahead of them was just exposed marble. At the end of the path was another door, larger and more ornate than the others.

"There's something weird about this," said Chie, staring down at the exposed flooring as if it was about to open up and swallow her whole.

"I agree. This just screams 'trap'," said Yosuke. "But it's the only we can go, so…"

Yu looked at it differently. Anyone who set a trap wouldn't want their intended victim to be able to spot it. If they did, then it was meant as a diversion for something else. Maybe it was just the mounting paranoia effecting his head, but it could be that the real trap was standing still, in the very spot they were now.

He took a careful step onto the marble and then, when nothing immediately happened, took another. He stood there for several seconds, watched nervously by Chie, Yosuke, and Teddie. Still, nothing happened. The other three joined him. It was when all four of them were on it that an audible _click_ echoed around the hallway.

Suddenly, they were moving.

A quick glance at the floor revealed that it had become segmented, and was carrying them towards the door like a conveyer belt. Behind them, the door burst open, and awaiting them in the doorway was a wall of thin, dark spikes jutting out by about a foot.

Yu took stock of the situation. This was a trap, and they were about to skewered unless they ran for it.

And run they did.

"What the hell is this?" Yosuke cried, stumbling slightly.

"Could this be one of those trials Yukiko was talking about?" Chie asked, jogging on the spot and looking far more comfortable than Yosuke was.

Teddie, meanwhile, was struggling not to be carried backwards. "My legs are too short for this!"

"Some trial this is! This is a death trap!" He noticed Teddie was rapidly losing traction. "Run faster, Ted!"

Teddie pumped his short arms even harder. "I'm trying!"

Yu wasn't having much difficulty keeping up, but knew that a couple more minutes at the pace they were going at would leave them all too tired and closer to a pointy, stabby death. He looked around, but saw no way off the make-shift treadmill; they would have push themselves forward and get back on the carpet.

Then, he spotted a slim, metal lever sticking out the floor a couple of feet away. "I think there's a switch."

"Maybe it'll shut this thing off," said Chie. "But how are we going to get to it?"

Yu looked down at the fake pitchfork he was holding, and then held it over his shoulder, as if he were preparing to toss a javelin. He lobbed it as accurately as he could in the circumstances. The tool soared through the air and collided with the switch with a metallic echo. It fell away harmlessly, and the switch remained unmoved. Which meant one thing.

"It appears to be a pull switch."

"Now what?" came Yosuke's strained voice. He and Teddie were gradually losing ground and sliding closer to the bed of spikes.

It was at this point that Yu was starting to feel the lactic acid take hold, and a burning sensation spread through his thighs. His breath was becoming ragged, and his arms were pumping harder in an effort to not slow down. His mind worked overtime to figure out a way to pull the switch. He glanced to his left, and saw Chie's cape fluttering behind her.

…could they make a lasso out of it?

Just as this idea popped into his head, he heard a yelp behind him. Teddie had lost his balance, and was now being transported on his belly towards the spikes. He clawed at the air desperately until he caught hold of Yosuke's hand, and pulled him down as well.

"Guys! Help!"

Yu reacted instinctively. Allowing himself to be carried backwards, he reached out and grabbed Yosuke's outstretched hand, then search desperately for some leverage. He spotted a wall crevice that contained a window, and clutched the edge of the wall with his spare hand. With his feet constantly moving out from under him, it took tremendous effort to keep his balance.

"I'm going for it," Chie announced.

She exploded forward, gaining impressive ground on the treadmill. Yu watched her several tense moments as she appeared to slow down and lose her balance. She struggled to remain on her feet, and just when it looked as if she was about to tumble over, she threw herself forward and rolled onto still ground. She threw up a hand, grabbed hold of the lever and wrenched it forward. The floor ceased moving with an abrupt halt, and Yu fell onto his backside, panting for breath. Behind them, the spikes retracted, and the wall collapsed.

A cheerful fanfare played around the hallway, followed by Yukiko's voice.

" _Congratulations! Showing endurance and resourcefulness, you have managed to clear the first trial!"_

There was a collective sigh from the group, and Yu dreaded what the other four trials would be like.

* * *

"If this castle is Yukiko-san's reality, then she's more insane than I thought," was Yosuke's dry comment as they walked down the fourth floor hallway.

"Don't say that about her!" Chie chastised him. She paused. "Although, she does have a weird sense of humour."

"I'm still waiting to see what this scoring a hot stud thing is all about," Teddie chipped in.

Yu's legs were still aching as he lead the group down the hallway. His pitchfork (that he retrieved before they went up to the next floor) was almost being used a walking stick. Once more, there weren't any Shadows waiting for them on the floor. Yu found himself feeling much more relieved about that than last time, grateful for the extra time to recover.

That was, until they rounded a corner and came and saw the giant knight Shadow waiting for them at the end of the hallway.

Yu took one look at the beast and turned on his heel. "Let's try a different way."

He made to walk in the opposite direction, but suddenly stopped. Yosuke raised his brow. "What's up?" Yu wordlessly pointed in front him. There, at the other end of the corridor, was the other knight they saw at the beginning. Yosuke's face paled. "Oh."

"Let's fight them," Chie said, cracking her knuckles. She ignored Yosuke's inevitable protest. "What else can we do here? It's not like we can go back the way we came."

Yosuke clicked his tongue, but didn't say anything. Yu gripped his pitchfork tightly, once again trying to work out a plan. Chie was right about needing to fight in order to progress, but they were in an extremely bad place to have that fight. The narrowness of the hallway hindered manoeuvrability, while the knights were likely to attack in a straight line. With both sides blocked off as well, evading attacks looked impossible.

Both knights let out a battle cry, and prepared their jousts as their horses reared back, ready to gallop.

"Crap, we need to think of something!"

"You two take that one, and I'll take this one," Chie said, slipping into a fighting stance.

"Don't be stupid!" Yosuke snapped. "Yu, you got any ideas?"

"Running away," he replied instantly. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only feasible plan he could think of.

Chie glanced at him over her shoulder. "Oh come on, we have to fight eventually! What's the point of running away when we're just going to come back here?"

Yu knew she was right but still found himself hesitating on making a decision. His mind was set on retreat; get away, regroup, come up with a plan, then come back. Whatever they did, they needed to do something quickly.

"Guys, look over there!" Teddie's high pitched voice interrupted his thinking. He was pointing to the wall. "There's a door right there!"

On first look, it looked as if Teddie was only pointing at a wall, but on closer inspection there was a barely discernible seam, shaped like a T. Yu and Yosuke threw their weight against it, and it shifted open.

"Chie, help us out!" Yosuke cried, voice edged with panic. Either side of them, the knights were seconds away from charging.

Denied the chance to fight again, Chie looked put out, but nonetheless joined in the effort without complaint. With their combined weight, they were able to push the doors open, and enter into a small room. As they did so, the two knights slammed into each other violently, the clash of metal on metal thundering around the castle.

Yosuke grimaced. "Man, am I glad we didn't get caught in the middle of that."

"There are Shadows here," Teddie exclaimed.

Floating in front of them were three Shadows they hadn't seen before. They had bodies like mannequins, covered head to toe in a beige cloak, with a single orange light shining out the face of the hood. At once, they raised their arms, and their cloaks billowed out all around them.

"Move!" Yu called out. The four of them dived out of the way as three blasts of air shot past them and collided with the doors, forcing them to close.

Chie gave Yu a pointed look. "We can fight now, right?" He nodded at her, and she smirked. "Alright, about time. Let's go, Tomoe!"

Her Persona, Tomoe, appeared above her. She was of similar height to Jiraiya and Izanagi, and wore a yellow body suit that showed off her muscular frame. Her head and face was covered by a pointed helmet with a visor. She wielded a double-side blade that she twirled around expertly before she flew in and brought one side down through a cloaked Shadow's head, neatly bisecting it.

Tomoe then pointed her weapon at another Shadow, and from underneath it a block of ice shot up and pierced its cloak before shattering into tiny pieces. Just like that, two of the Shadows were defeated.

"Chie-chan's on a rampage," Teddie said in awe.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or scared," commented Yosuke.

While Chie was fighting, the third and final Shadow floated over to them. Teddie pointed it out.

"Maybe you should do something useful now, Yosuke."

"Shut up." Yosuke dug his knuckles into Teddie's head before stepping forward and summoning Jiraiya. With his supreme speed and agility, he took care of the final Shadow in no time.

Chie beamed while she brushed her hands off. "Wow, that was easy. Those things weren't as tough as I thought they'd be."

It _had_ been easy for them. Unlike the large Shadows they came across, the smaller Shadows barely posed a threat to them now that they had the power of Persona. Yu didn't even have to do anything, and he wondered if he had been underestimating Yosuke and Chie this whole time, or if he had overestimating the Shadows' power.

He shook his head. No, it hadn't been wrong to be cautious, given what he had been up against before. Those knights would have slaughtered them. He was sure of it.

"You know," said Yosuke, "seeing how strong Chie's Persona is, maybe we can take on those knights after all."

"See, I told you we could take them," said Chie. "You guys should have more faith in me." Yu remained silent. Chie narrowed her eyes at him. "What, you're still not convinced?"

"You haven't fought the Shadows we have."

It was through no fault of her own, but Chie hadn't faced off against the same opponents he had. She hadn't had to fight for her life, or deal with the fear that one wrong decision could result in death. She was out cold when her own Shadow came within a split second of turning them into charred corpses or impaling him with the end of heel.

"But you beat those Shadows, and these Shadows we're finding are weaker than they were," Chie said. "We could have taken out those knights and then we wouldn't have had to bother with this stupid trial crap."

Sensing an argument breaking out, Yosuke interjected. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. The less we fight, the better condition we'll be in when we find Yukiko. And we want to get to her as soon as possible, right?"

"Obviously. It's just that all this running away feels so unnecessary and a waste of time."

"We're wasting time standing here and discussing this," said Yu, a little coldly.

Chie rounded on him. "Stop acting like you're our leader! We can have opinions too, you know!"

Yu exhaled, and felt a headache coming on. He should have expected something like this – just because they had the same goal, didn't mean they'd all get along with each other. Even though it was in their best interests to cooperate, they each had different agendas and motivations.

Yet although he understood this, the exchange left a sour taste in his mouth, and the feeling of irritation pricked at him and threatened to penetrate his usual composure. He tried to suppress the feeling; to remember that he had to keep his emotions in check to give them the best chance of success.

"Let's get going," he muttered, keeping his voice level. He walked ahead of the group, the others lagging behind him. Yosuke and Teddie shared a look of uncertainty, while a scowling Chie brought up the rear.

* * *

They were attacked by more small Shadows as they progressed through the remainder of the fourth floor, but a combination of their Personas made quick work of them, and they were soon up to the fifth floor of the castle.

At some point, Chie had taken point of the group, while Yu stood at the back, pensive. He was constantly on the lookout for the knights, convinced that even after their horrific collision they hadn't seen the last of them. Chie showed no such concern, urging them to press on at regular intervals.

The fifth floor posed yet another problem for them to solve. The lighting was dimmer, making it much harder to see into the distance, while the hallways turned and contorted far more frequently. Yu felt like they were in a maze of some sort with the number of times they had seemingly hit dead ends and turned back on themselves.

It was when they hit yet another dead end that Chie growled and threw up her arms in frustration.

"This is getting ridiculous. Who puts a maze in a castle?"

Yosuke shrugged. "You did say Yukiko-san has a weird sense of humour. Maybe she wanted us to get lost in the maze of her life."

"Not funny." Chie heaved a big sigh. She turned on her heel and stomped out of the dead end. "Let's try a different path. After all the dead ends we've found, we can't be too far off the exit."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure mazes don't work like that."

For the most part, they were wandering aimlessly. Yu kept an eye out for any landmarks to identify places they had already been, but a combination of dim lighting and a lack of diversity in the castle's décor made it a near impossible task. For every decadent vase, suit of armour or drape they came across, they would find another not too far away. Every path they took blurred into one.

He watched Chie tread a path in front of them, her cape swishing back and forth, and head turning this way and that as she tried to work out where they were going. Yosuke walked alongside her, the bells on his hat still jingling. Chie's head snapped in his direction and she reached out and snatched the hat off Yosuke's head, before stuffing it into his chest. Waddling alongside Yu was Teddie, eyes lidded in concern.

Nothing about the current situation encouraged Yu. The way they were going, they would lose themselves to frustration and waste their energy. They needed to stop and think of a better approach.

But he was hesitant to give that opinion. Chie was hardly receptive to his ideas at that moment, and he wasn't sure about Yosuke. Meanwhile, Yukiko was waiting for them somewhere in the castle, safe for now but undoubtedly suffering in the TV world's oppressive atmosphere while her Shadow ran amok. They had to hurry and save her. He knew that, but…

He took a deep breath and exhaled quietly. He had to keep a clear head, so he could keep thinking and planning.

Beside him, Teddie's nose started twitching. He stopped, and took several exaggerated sniffs of the air. "I can sense something…" he said, a far off look in his eye. "It smells like that girl."

Chie leaned forward in anticipation. "Yukiko's on this floor?"

"I think it's her Shadow I'm smelling." Teddie took another sniff. "She's not alone either."

Chie shot towards Teddie and shook him by the arms. "Take us there!"

A bad feeling settled in the pit of Yu's stomach, and he had visions of them being lead into a trap. The fact they had very few alternatives made him feel all the more uneasy.

Teddie took them on a dizzying route down the path and around several bends until they came to towering set of doors.

"She's behind this door," he said.

The three humans in the group pushed the doors open and rushed inside to a spacious room. Waiting for them was Shadow Yukiko, who was standing next to one of the knight Shadows. Beyond them was a flight of stairs leading up to the next floor.

Shadow Yukiko squealed. "At last, my princes have found me!" She put her gloved hands to her face "But I can't leave with such a big, scary guard here. Surely my prince can defeat him."

The knight took that as a challenge and readied its joust.

"Enough of these games. Tell us where Yukiko is!" Chie demanded.

Shadow Yukiko wagged a finger back and forth. "Didn't I already tell you? I _am_ Yukiko. And I'm still waiting to see who will be my true prince." She turned her back on the group and walked towards the staircase. "Don't disappoint me now."

She ascended the stairs, leaving only the knight in her place. The group ran after her, but were blocked by the knight's hulking frame. It seemed they wouldn't be able to get past it without a fight.

Chie was way ahead of them, sending Tomoe in to engage the knight in close quarters. The strikes of her weapon were deflected by the knight's armour with a metallic clang until it swatted her aside with a spiked gauntlet.

"Physical attacks won't work!" Teddie said from the back.

Yu swallowed down a sarcastic retort. Of course the humongous monster covered head to toe in steel would be resistant to physical attacks.

Tomoe summoned her ice to wrap around the hoofs of the knight's horse. Yosuke followed up by having Jiraiya fire a blast of wind at the incapacitated target. The knight hopped off the horse just before the wind smashed into its head, and with a loud wail it disintegrated.

"Keep attacking!" Chie yelled.

Tomoe conjured up more ice around the knight's feet, but the Shadow smashed it with the butt of his joust and kicked away the remaining frost like he was walking through soft snow. Jiraiya's wind attack came zooming in and collided with it, but it barely yielded from its position. Yu called upon Izanagi and his Zio spell. The lightning smacked down onto the knight's head but only seemed to rattle it.

The knight retaliated. With a mighty roar, it charged forward, eating up the ground with a startling swiftness, its armour clanking with every heavy step. It lashed out with its joust and struck Tomoe in the midsection, before swinging it around in a wide arc in an attempt to catch Izanagi and Jiraiya.

"Chie-chan's not looking so good," Teddie cried.

Yu glanced over to her. She was panting heavily, sweat dripping from her brow as she clutched her mid-drift. Tomoe, floating above her, flickered in and out of existence.

"Take a break, Chie," he told her.

"I'm fine," she bit out. "I just need to catch my breath."

"You're pushing yourself too hard."

"I said I'm fine!"

Chie sent Tomoe in again with another ice attack. The knight struggled to escape as Tomoe charged in, spinning her blade. Just as she was about to strike it, though, she vanished completely, and Chie fell to her knees, her breathing laboured.

The knight broke free of the ice and lunged at Chie. Yu felt himself moving in her direction on instinct, but found he was beaten to her by Yosuke. Yosuke arrived just in time to pull her towards him, the joust speeding through where her chest was but a moment ago and plunging into the floor.

While the knight attempted to wrench his weapon free, Yu sent Izanagi in close, and had him slice through a hole in the armour underneath its arm pit. Suddenly without an arm, the knight stumbled back, and couldn't defend itself from a Zio. Jiraiya followed up with Garu, and the knight finally fell and vanished.

* * *

Fortunately, there was nothing sinister waiting for them on the next floor. Quite the opposite, in fact. The sixth floor was identical to the second, consisting of a single round room and another set of stairs leading upwards. Yu, Yosuke and Chie took the opportunity to rest.

Sitting with his back to a wall, Yu's body felt heavy and drained. A combination of their ascent of the castle, the fighting, the frequent summoning of their Personas and the perpetual pressure of putting their lives on the line had taken their toll on the whole group. He checked the time on his phone and suddenly felt hungry, and it was with a great deal of annoyance that he didn't have the foresight to bring some food with him.

Chie was sitting next to him, fidgeting with the end of her cape. She had been silent since the battle with the knight. He thought she might have been rattled by her near death experience, and couldn't blame her if she was.

The TV world, the murders, Personas, Shadows… it had tested them in ways they had never been tested before. Suddenly they had gone from leading normal, harmless lives to fighting monsters with magic knowing that a single mistake could be fatal. People they knew and saw everyday were being kidnapped and they were the only ones who could save them. They had to save them, even though they had known each other for only a week.

Little wonder, then, that they could barely work together.

It was imperative that they came to a mutual understanding, but doing so was a challenge. He didn't have a single idea how to go about it. Yosuke and Chie were strangers to him, and he just couldn't relate to their desire to save people close to them. He could only understand it on a logical level.

Perhaps that was why he and Chie weren't seeing eye to eye, even though they both wanted the same thing.

The girl herself cleared her throat. "Hey, guys… I'm sorry."

"Forget about it," Yosuke said, sitting on her other side. "We all make mistakes. Right, Yu?"

"Of course. We're new to all this. It was never going to be easy."

Things arguably went awry the moment they were told they would be completing trials while wearing ridiculous costumes. Then they spiralled from that point – the ridiculous treadmill, the traps, the knight Shadows, and the labyrinth. Who knew what else was waiting for them.

That raised another important thing to think about. In their exhausted state, he didn't know how much longer they could keep going. If they were still nowhere near Yukiko, they might have to consider going back and coming back another day.

Yosuke seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "Hey Ted, can you tell how much further we have to go?"

Teddie thought about it for a moment. "Hmm… I can still smell that girl's Shadow, so I don't think she's too far away. I dunno how far though."

"Maybe we should head back for today," Yosuke offered, looking at Chie carefully. "We've still got time on our side. We don't have to push ourselves so hard."

"But we've already come so far, and we'd have to walk all the way back," Chie said. She looked down at her lap. "I know we shouldn't push it, but…"

She trailed off, though Yu felt he could fill in the blank. To come so far only to turn back would be gut-wrenching for her when Yukiko was so close.

Yosuke looked at Yu. "What do you think?"

It wasn't an easy problem to solve. Going back made sense given their exhaustion; they wouldn't be able to fight a huge Shadow in their current state. However, it wasn't a sure thing that they could leave the castle safely, and there was always the chance that the traps would reset when they returned. He wasn't sure they could conserve more energy the second time around.

To push it and continue onward, or go back and risk doing it all again… maybe the answer fell somewhere between the two.

"How about this," he started. "We'll rest here for a while, and then go on to the next floor. If it gets too much for us, we head back and try again tomorrow."

Yosuke folded his arms. "That sounds good to me. Chie?"

Chie looked at each of them, then nodded her head. "We're giving it a chance, so I have no objections."

All agreed, they continued to rest, making small talk as they did so. A few stray doubts kept surfacing in Yu's mind – if he had come up with the best plan, if they could get on the same wavelength and learn from their mistakes, and if he was prepared to accept responsibility if something went wrong. He looked at the staircase, leading up into darkness, and gulped. For some reason, he just couldn't shake a sudden feeling of foreboding.

* * *

 **A/N: And here we are with another chapter. This chapter was shorter than the last two by a good thousand words or so, and there's a simple explanation for that. Originally, this was going to be a massive chapter around 13,000 to 15,000 words that would cover the end of Yukiko's Castle and the fallout from that. However, partway through writing this I realised it would be better to split that chapter in half because 1) there would have been too many actions scenes in one chapter, and things would have gotten boring and repetitive, 2) I wanted to frame the Yu-Chie dynamic and their conflict and 3) 15,000 words would have been a bitch to proofread and edit.**

 **So with any luck the next chapter will wrap up Yukiko's Castle, and we won't be far off meeting Kanji. I'm really looking forward to that.**

 **I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and using some crazy ideas. I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.**


	7. CH6: Today, I Take Flight

**Chapter Six**

 _ **Today, I Take Flight**_

"My ass is flaming!"

"Stay still, moron! Otherwise I can't put it out!"

Yu watched with a growing sense of trepidation as Chie chased a flaming Yosuke around, with Tomoe lurking ominously behind her. Their fight against Shadow Yukiko had only just begun, and already they were a mess.

Above all the commotion, Shadow Yukiko was perched in her cage, howling with laughter. On first glance, the monstrous form of Yukiko's Shadow looked the most normal so far. Feet with razor sharp talons clamped tightly around the edge of the cage, and held up the slim, streamlined body of a bird with rose pink feathers and a white heart-shaped crest on her chest. Lengthy tail feathers fanned out from her rear. She stood with her wings spread wide, showing an impressive wingspan.

But then, as Yu continued to look upwards, he saw the head. Attached to a long, bendy neck that could be seen on a swan was a human head – Yukiko's head, with her skin deep red and her dark hair falling down the back of her neck. Seeing this, he had to check if the real Yukiko was still in one piece, and it was with some relief that he found she still was.

Unsurprisingly, they had found Yukiko in an argument with her own Shadow, and despite their attempts to prevent her saying what were quickly becoming the three magic words, the situation played exactly as the last two times. Now Yukiko was passed out, trapped in a golden cage suspended from the ceiling. She was very much the caged bird she thought she was.

Meanwhile, her Shadow, an actual bird, had escaped her cage and was causing them no shortage of problems.

The first thing she did was stretch out her wings and a spawn a wall of flames wide enough to encompass their whole party. Yu and Chie had managed to avoid it without harm, but Yosuke had been a step too slow and ended up with the backside of his jester suit in flames. Attention turned to ensuring Yosuke didn't burn to death, and in the absence of water, they had to resort to using Tomoe's ice attacks.

For some reason, Yosuke wasn't keen on that. Yu thought he should suck it up and get it over with, before Shadow Yukiko decided to take advantage of their lack of organisation.

Shadow Yukiko's laughter died down. "Picking you for the role of jester really was an inspired choice."

Yosuke stopped running away from Chie to glare at Shadow Yukiko. "Screw you!"

Jiraiya popped into existence above him and shot a blast of wind at Shadow Yukiko. With a giggle, the bird lowered her head. The attack soared over it and carried on towards a pair of glass doors that lead out to a balcony. The door was thrown open, and the glass shattered into numerous fragments.

"Oh my, so violent! Maybe you should cool down for a little while?"

With a triumphant yell, Chie tackled Yosuke to the floor and extinguished the flame with Tomoe's ice. Yosuke shoved her off him, muttering under his breath.

"Come on you guys! Get in the game!" Teddie yelled, several yards away from the fight.

The three of them regrouped, and the fight began in earnest.

Shadow Yukiko proved elusive. They flung several attacks at her, but she dodged each one by nimbly and gracefully dancing through the air. Instead of retaliating, she merely laughed, as if she was being guided around a dance floor by a dashing prince.

That laughter came to an abrupt halt when Chie managed to connect with an ice attack.

"You found her weakness!" was Teddie's triumphant cry.

"It won't happen again," Shadow Yukiko said, returning to her perch. She giggled. "My loyal servant will take care of that pesky problem."

On cue, the dumpy Shadow, dressed in noble clothes, appeared. It waved its rapier around with a squeak. For an instance, a glittering blue barrier wrapped around Shadow Yukiko's frame before it faded away.

"And now that that's been taken care of, I'll re-introduce you to my other loyal servant."

There was a tense period of silence. A faint rumbling could be heard. It gradually grew louder and louder, sounding more metallic by the second.

"Something's coming," Teddie said, fearfully backing away from the stairway.

Yu had a feeling he knew what was about to come. There was one large Shadow that they had encountered earlier, but never got around to dealing with. It was one that blocked their path numerous time, but they had opted to avoid it rather than fight it to conserve energy.

That decision was coming back to bite them.

The knight Shadow burst into the room with a chilling battle cry, joust held high. It steadied its mount before charging at the group. They scattered in different directions. The knight surveyed the area before deciding on Yu as its target.

Yu didn't even wait for it to charge. He took off running, not entirely sure what he was doing. He chanced a look over his shoulder to see that Chie had engaged Shadow Yukiko again, while Yosuke was doing his best to catch the fleeing Prince. More alarmingly, he could see the knight was rapidly gaining on him.

"Yosuke!" he cried, an edge of panic in his voice. "Over here!"

"I'm on it!"

Yu couldn't see what happened next. Yosuke had summoned Jiraiya for something, but it wasn't the usual wind attack. The knight suddenly roared and galloped in a completely different direction. Yu stopped and watched as its mount kicked and thrashed while neighing wildly. The knight itself struggled to regain control and swung its joust around at thin air. The tip grazed the feathers of Shadow Yukiko's chest.

"How dare you!" she screeched, sending a fearsome glare at the knight.

The knight turned its attention the prince and charged after it. The prince turned on its heel and ran away with its stubbly legs, but was not quick enough to escape the joust running it through. It was the last thing the knight did before it erupted in flames and burned to ashes.

The mood in the room darkened.

"That's it! I've had enough!" Shadow Yukiko shrieked. "None of you are qualified to be my prince!"

With a powerful beat of her wings, she lifted herself off her perch. She swooped down at the three of them, just grazing their heads with her talons. As they turned around to retaliate, a ball of fire crackled into life in front of them.

"Move out of the way!" Yu heard someone shout. He dived out of the fireball, just as it expanded and exploded. The heat brushed against his skin as the blast pushed him away further than he would have liked.

There was no room for rest. Shadow Yukiko was relentless in her follow-up, diving at them with her talons out, intent on cutting them to ribbons. She changed her target with each attack. With each dodge and roll, Yu felt his body become heavier. Every muscle was strained to avoid being hit.

Yu gripped the fake pitch fork in his hands tightly as he watched Yosuke narrowly evade a claw to the neck and Chie's retaliation fail to make contact. The longer they were forced to defend, the sooner they would tire. In a physical contest, they had no hope of matching the speed and stamina of the larger Shadows, and their Persona were little use against a target they couldn't hit. Yu had no doubt: if they kept going as they were, they would die.

But even knowing that, he was short of ideas. Retreat was one, though he doubted Shadow Yukiko would allow them to flee so easily. Even if they did manage to escape, they would still have to fight their way back up the castle and take on Shadow Yukiko again. No, they needed to finish the fight there and then. If only they could seal her movements somehow…

His thoughts were cut short as he was once more subject to a dive from Shadow Yukiko. Yu rolled away just in time, but wasn't quick enough to escape a glancing cut across his back. He hissed as the fresh wound stung horribly, and lashed out with the pitchfork, fully expecting to pierce nothing but air.

To his surprise, he felt the wood of the handle shake in his hands as the blade of the pitchfork struck something. He glanced up. By some miracle, the blade had struck Shadow Yukiko's leg. Although it wasn't sharp enough to pierce, the pointed plastic still managed to create a tiny cut.

He doubted Shadow Yukiko barely felt it, but judging by the downright terrifying looks she was giving him, she was thoroughly pissed off by it.

Yu dropped the pitchfork and scrambled to his feet. Through all the aches and pains, he pushed his body on, in any direction so long as it was away from Shadow Yukiko. He glanced over his shoulder. She was close, and rapidly gaining ground. He looked ahead again, and saw he was approaching the balcony. His mind was screaming at him that it was a dead end, but the urge to escape overcame reason, and he committed.

He came to regret that decision when he arrived, once he realised he had nowhere to go.

He acted on instinct. As Shadow Yukiko flew through the doorway, he hoisted himself over the stone railing and hung by his hands. His eyes flickered downwards, catching sight of his legs dangling uselessly over a perilously long drop.

There was a screech above him. He could see Shadow Yukiko's head and long neck flailing around. Her body and wings were trapped in the doorframe, and she struggled to break free, cursing all the while. The stone around the doorframe shook as she tried to pull herself free.

The head spotted Yu and, despite her own situation, she laughed. A ball of fire gathered in her mouth. Yu's heart threatened to burst from his chest. He had to move. He had to wriggle his wingers across the rail and move.

Shadow Yukiko followed his every movement, no matter how small. The fire grew and grew. Yu considered the possibility of letting go; that maybe the grass or the bushes below him would cushion his fall enough to prevent death. He could feel the heat against his skin.

The blaze never came.

There was a stunned silence. He peaked through the gaps in the stone railing. Shadow Yukiko's body had been encased in ice. The head was ignoring him now, and spitting out fire in attempt to thaw her body. This was his chance.

"Izanagi!"

Izanagi appeared, right above Yu's head. It raised its naginata and, in a flash, sliced through the delicate neck of Shadow Yukiko. The head fell to the ground, her expression frozen in shock. She stared at Yu, right in the eye, looking disturbingly like the real Yukiko, before it vanished along with the rest of her body. In its place was her human form, thankfully intact.

There was a moment of silence, before a sudden burst of activity. Yu felt a pair of hands grasp his arms and pull him back up over the balcony. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was back on solid ground.

"You're crazy," Yosuke said, catching his breath alongside him. "I mean, it worked, but damn, that scared the hell out of me."

"You really had me worried, Sensei!" Teddie added, eyes wide.

"Sorry."

Yu wasn't sure what else to say. He had only done what his body had told him to do. What anyone else may have thought of it didn't play a part in his thinking at all.

In the chamber, he could see that Chie had rescued Yukiko from her cage, and the two were having a heart to heart. Deciding to leave them alone, he turned around and gazed at the castle's courtyard and beyond. It became apparent to him then that had he fallen, he would have not have survived. His odds of living through the entire ordeal were so incredibly small, yet there he was, still standing.

He expected to take pride in that accomplishment, but he found himself unable to conjure up any emotion at all. There was an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, like something was wrong and out of place, but he just couldn't identify what it was.

"I understand now. You're the real me."

Yukiko's declaration caught his attention, and he turned around in time to see a familiar blue card float down in front of her face and disappear. She collapsed to her knees, exhausted, while everyone gathered around her. Yu joined the group at his own pace, his mind still trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He was only dimly aware of the conversation happening around him.

"…but my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was."

"Still no new clues…" Teddie moaned.

"Not necessarily. Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here."

Teddie paused. "So it really wasn't you guys."

"That's what we said from the beginning!" Yosuke let out an exasperated sigh. "Yu, talk some sense into this guy, will ya?"

"We wouldn't have come this far if we were the culprits," he said absently.

"See?"

"I-I always believed it wasn't you guys," was Teddie's unconvincing response.

"You're full of shit."

" _Anyway_ ," Chie cut in before an argument could break out, "we should hurry up and get out of here. Yukiko is exhausted."

Chie helped Yukiko walk as they made their way towards the stair case. Teddie lingered behind the group, eyes fixed to the floor. For a moment, Yu thought he looked desperately lonely, but before he could comment on it, Teddie smiled at him and waddled after the group.

* * *

Yu made sure to linger around outside for a while before he returned home, to avoid the inevitable questions about why he was home earlier than usual. He barely caught Nanako's quiet "welcome back" as he went up to his bedroom and grabbed a fresh change of clothes before he headed to the bathroom to clean himself up. By the time he joined Nanako in the living room, any sign that he had been battling monsters were gone.

He spent the evening sat at the opposite side of the table to Nanako, eyes on the television but not watching what was on the screen. Nanako kept giving him furtive looks, but he ignored them. In his mind, the fight against Shadow Yukiko replayed over and over, reminding him that he threw himself off a balcony.

Why had he done that? The question plagued him all through the evening, right up until dinner when Dojima returned home with a guest.

"Hi there," said a man with short dark hair and wearing scruffy looking suit. Yu thought he resembled the man who threw up violently at one of the murder scenes. "I'm Adachi, the guy who's been Dojima-san's slave since Spring."

His goofy smile withstood Dojima's death glare. "We got off at the same time, so I thought we might as well swing by before I give him a ride back to his place."

Adachi held up a plastic carrier bag. "We even brought dinner!"

Dinner, as usual, was a modest affair of rice and an assortment of side-dishes. Adachi and Dojima took up the other sides of the table. Despite Adachi's apparent good mood, they ate in silence. Nanako, Yu noted, looked even more on guard around Adachi than she was around him.

"You go to the same school as Yukiko Amagi, don't you?" Adachi pointed his chopsticks in Yu's direction, spilling a few grains of rice over the table. "You'll be glad to know, they found her safe and sound. Make sure you tell all your friends at school."

"That's good to know."

Adachi nodded, a cheerful smile spread across his face. "Isn't it? Everyone at the force is so relieved. Now if only we could wrap this case up, everything would be great." He nibbled on his chopsticks as his brow creased in thought. "We were just questioning Miss Amagi, but she couldn't remember anything. We can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really did disappear. Isn't that weird?"

A single chopstick came spinning through the air and struck Adachi's forehead. Dojima gave him a withering glare.

"Stop blabbering, dumbass."

Adachi visibly shrunk as he rubbed his head. "My bad."

Dojima sighed and turned to Yu. "Ignore him. His head is full of wild fantasies."

Yu nodded, happy to let the subject of Yukiko's disappearance die.

Once dinner had finished, and Dojima took Adachi home, Yu dragged his weary body up to his bedroom and was more than happy to throw on his pyjamas and sink into his futon early.

All in all, it had been another crazy day. Just when he thought the next day couldn't be any more interesting or insane as the last, the scale continued to increase. To be a part of a crappy, late night TV show that involved dressing as a farmer, fighting his way past spectral knights up to the top of the castle to rescue a princess from the clutches of her other self was weird enough. That her other-self turned into a gigantic bird with a human head that he defeated performing death defying stunts like throwing himself out a window and suspending himself from a balcony went so far beyond expectation he wondered if he hadn't hallucinated the entire experience.

Now that everything had settled down, the questions resurfaced. Beyond being a Persona user, and the responsibilities that came with that, he struggled to think of a reason why he had gone to such lengths to protect himself against Shadow needed to know what drove him to take such extreme action; why it was that his body thought it was okay to go from one extremely perilous situation to the other, disregarding any other potentially safer options in the process.

Up to that point, he had played it safe. Every decision he made was to ensure that the group had the best chances of survival. He was pragmatic to the point it provoked Chie into arguing with him. But there was nothing pragmatic about hanging himself from a balcony. That hadn't been a calculated gamble to gain an advantage in the fight, but a total act of desperation that happened to work in their favour.

Something had changed in him, during that moment. One answer came to him but its implications were unsettling.

He buried the issue. In the end, Yukiko was safe and the killer, while still at large, was thwarted for the time being. Despite their lack of co-ordination as a group, their disagreements, and the large amounts of luck involved in their success, nobody had been maimed or killed. That, in the end, was the most important thing, and how they accomplished that ultimately didn't matter.

So he told himself, over and over, like a mantra. The ends justified the means. Alls well that ends well. And so on. With any luck, they would never have to do something like that again and normal life would resume.

He frowned at the ceiling, wondering why the thought didn't comfort him at all. He turned onto his side, pulling the cover up to his shoulder, and tried to think of something else.

His thoughts were circuitous. All he could think about was the fight against Shadow Yukiko, and the desperate craving he had for an explanation of his own behaviour. Another answer came to him. Maybe he had felt a sense of kinship with Yukiko, and that had empowered him. He could envisage himself in that cage, feeling hopeless, trapped and in need of someone to save him, take him away and make everything better. That feeling of life being out of your control, dictated by circumstances not of your own making… he knew it well.

Yet that answer still didn't satisfy him. He could understand Yukiko and empathise with her position, but he didn't know her, nor did he care for her beyond mere human kindness. Empathy was surely not a strong enough driving force.

He thought about Chie and Yosuke. Both had a personal stake in this whole thing, be it to protect or avenge a loved one. What was his stake? Some perceived sense of destiny? An obligation to whatever magical force that granted him the power?

His frustration grew and grew, and what should have a been a peaceful, restful night's sleep after a job well done proved anything but.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, it's taken a little more time than expected to write and publish this chapter. The start of the new uni semester has been very busy, and that slowed things down immensely. While I was still picking at this chapter bit by bit, it took far too long to write. Ironically, the chapter ended up coming out rushed, and I can only apologise for that. After two months of very slow progress, I think I ended up fed up with it.

Anyway, the gang has now successfully rescued Yukiko, who'll join the party and get a bit more focus than she's been getting so far soon enough. Before that, though, there's the small matter of starting up some Social Links. Next chapter will step away from the Investigation Team for a bit and focus on Yu's schoolmates.

As for when to expect that chapter to be up, it'd be stupid of me to give any prediction. With any luck, it won't take two months this time.


End file.
